


Avengers, Pandora's Mightiest Heroes.

by Thousandsmiles



Category: Avatar (2009), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, Banshees, Canonical Character Death, Ensemble Cast, Epic Clint Barton, Except Natasha, Frankly I'm not sure anybody else has either, Gen, Na'vi Loki, Na'vi Steve, Na'vi Thor, Natasha sees everything, No Slash, Pandoran fauna, Paralyzed Tony Stark, Plot, Snarky Clint Barton, Snarky Tony, Symbiotic Plant, Team, The avengers in pandora setting, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark has friends, Tree of Souls, Unobtanium, Works out better than you'd expect, because we don't have enough of that, but I don't think he realized that yet, hydra has their hands in everything, hydra needs to leave other planets alone, quincopters, snarky Thor, sort of, stuff happens..., vibranium
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-05
Updated: 2018-05-01
Packaged: 2018-06-06 14:49:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 32,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6758518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thousandsmiles/pseuds/Thousandsmiles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Tony Stark goes to Pandora to be part of the Avatar project it’s primarily so he can walk again after his experience in Afghanistan left him paralyzed from waist down and with shrapnel in his heart. He doesn't expect to get chosen by the Sacred Tree of the Na'vi and become involved in saving the planet from humans and an evil Na'vi though. Seriously, that really came out of left field.<br/>Also somehow he's kinda made friends....</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Arriving to Pandora.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey so I somehow came up with an Avengers/ Avatar crossover. I hope you guys enjoy it.  
> As usual I own neither The Avengers or Avatar.

People said that you don’t dream in cryo. Tony Stark was happy to prove them wrong. Not happy he had dreamed, mind you, but just happy that he could prove people wrong. Tony Stark’s dreams were full of dark things these days, darker than usual and usually included various iterations of a dark cave, being held under water, the dying screams of men, unbearable heat and an impact so hard it left all of him paralyzed instead of just from waist down. Five years, nine months and twenty-two days of intermittent dreaming left Tony Stark’s usual snark somewhat impaired. So when they woke them up from cryo and told them to get ready for entrance to Pandora, Tony actually obeyed without a fuss. 

They got on the space shuttle in short order and headed down to Pandora. He had heard a lot about it, had seen some video of it and had developed a hell a lot of tech for the Pandora project. Heck he had even designed this damn space shuttle. It was in fact this reason that he was even here at all. He had done some specialized work for one of the projects on Pandora, the Avatar project. He had designed, actually redesigned, the neurological link to link the avatars with the human mind so that the humans would be able to drive the bodies. It wasn’t his usual line of work but he had done it on one condition: that he also gets an avatar. 

Due to ethical concerns, they weren’t making human bodies, but they were making avatars so if there was a damn chance that Tony Stark could walk again, he’d take it, even if it meant he was large and blue and striped. Eh, he’ll make it work. 

He got out of the shuttle, got into his wheelchair and pulled his travel bag over his head and wheeled out of the shuttle. He could have, of course, made a remote controlled chair but he had wanted the muscle in his arms. The muscles in his legs had already atrophied quite a bit, he couldn’t bear it the same happened to his arms as well. 

The general commander greeted him politely but sneeringly. Tony just smiled and said some comment that wiped away the smile on the man’s face but truth be told he didn’t even know what he had said. He was engrossed in taking in the sights of a whole new planet. Everything was over large. He stopped to let a giant tank, (his design again) roll past him. Brightly coloured arrows were stuck to the wheels (but not impairing the function, Stark-tech at its finest). Ah, he thought, that would be the Na’vi. 

He finally got to the security briefing after declining the help of several soldiers, with bruising remarks and settled down to listen to the head of security because, say what you like, Tony Stark was not an idiot. Besides, the last time he didn’t listen to his security, three months in Afghanistan happened. And three soldiers were dead trying to protect him.   
He couldn’t help rolling his eyes at the man’s speech though. Seriously who said 'jujubes' anymore? And yes they are hard to kill and Stark weapons have been making it easier for many years. And seriously did he have to be that dramatic? Yeah, yeah some of us will die. But not him. No dying for Tony Stark. He went on to list the rules which Tony sighed and committed to memory in case they ever became useful. 

After that he was guided to the lab where he saw for the first time, his avatar. And he’ll be damned if it wasn’t the handsomest one of all. After that he and a doctor Spellman, who was quite well versed in Na’vi culture, went to the lab to meet Dr. Grace whose work on Pandora was legendary. Tony had read all her papers and her book.

She was calling for a cigarette when they entered the room. Tony liked her immediately. They were introduced to her by the doctor who was giving them the tour-Tony had forgotten his name- and she and Spellman instantly began conversing with in other in Na’vi of which Tony could follow a little. The doctor reintroduced Tony and he held out his hand and gave her his brightest smile and said:

“Tony Stark ma’am.”

“Yeah,” she said, “Like I don’t know who you are. I don’t need you Mr. Stark, I need your technology and I have all I need on that front anyway. Nothing good comes out of a military contractor trying to poke their nose in my business. Business that, might I add, has no place for personal gain.”

“Well I’m sorry to be such an inconvenience, but I guess you’ll just have to stick with me. It’s that or let your insanely expensive avatar go to waste. Or let me cut the funding to this project. But I guess if my presence is much more of an inconvenience than those two things I could leave and go my way. However, I can add that I am at your service here and not many people get to say that, so I think you should call it a win.”

Dr. Grace looked like she wanted to murder someone, preferably him. Before she could retaliate though a new voice intruded saying, “Don’t worry Grace, that’s just Tony’s way of saying he likes you. He’s… got an odd way of showing it.”

“Well, well, well,” said Tony looking at the new person, “Natashalie. How long it’s been since you were impersonating a secretary in my office?”

“Six and a half years,” said Natasha Romanov. She was just as beautiful as she was six and a half years ago. Her hair was covered by a knit cap with stray wisps of red hair escaping. 

“Ah yes,” Tony said. 

“I don’t see why you’re so sour about it,” said Natasha, “You did after all get the unobtainium you needed for your reactor from me.” 

“You should try your little trick on yourself and see how much you like it,” Tony smiled back at her.

“Very clever Stark,” said Natasha. “Come on up at 0800 hours, you’re jacking in then.”

“Bye, bye,” he called after her and rolled out after Spellman.


	2. Running and Meeting New People.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So second chapter! Hope you all enjoy it!

At 0800 hours Tony Stark reported to the lab. Grace and Natasha met him there and Grace led him over to his station. He pulled himself up to sit in his unit which he fondly dubbed Jarvis in honor of his AI which he had had to leave behind on earth. 

“Aright keep your arms in and your head down.” She pushed his head down. He instantly lifted it up again trying to inspect his tech. 

“Head down,” said Grace pushing his head down once again. “And try to keep your mind blank. If you can.”

He made a face at her and then his unit was closed and he was trying not to panic at the sudden and closed darkness. He negated the panic by twisting his head this way and that to ensure everything thing was hooked up right. He began to go through his mental checklist.

Outside Grace and Natasha and the other doctor monitored the link. 

“Damn,” said the doctor, “That is a nice brain.”

“Not surprising,” said Grace. She turned to Natasha, “You’ll handle things? I’m going in.”

Natasha nodded. “Sure.” Grace went into her unit and linked in.

 

Inside the unit, Tony finally closed his eyes and tried to clear is brain. After a moment, it felt like he was being sucked down a joyride from hell. A colorful joyride from hell. Then everything banked out and he was slowly opening his eyes.

There were two people leaning over him. For a moment he was confused. Did it not work? Then a voice came to him. 

“Mr. Stark? Mr. Stark? Tony can you hear me?” The voice sharpened and to loud snaps were by his ears. His ears twitched and he wrinkled his face. Wait a minute. His ears don’t twitch. Then….oh it did work. He was now in his avatar body.

“Hey guys,” he said smiling weakly. Then he pushed himself up on his elbows and sat up. The doctors fluttered around him, talking to him and presumably telling him stuff but he ignored them. 

He was too wrapped up in feeling out the new body. It was strong. Stronger than a normal human body, that he could tell. He could practically feel every strip of striated muscle moving. He lifted up his hands and flexed his fingers to test the dexterity of them and wiggled his toes. 

“Oh you’re wiggling your toes, good!” the female doctor cooed. 

Tony’s brain screeched to a halt. How could he forget? How he could not notice. He wiggled his toes again. Oh goodness. He could feel his legs. He could feel beyond his waist. He could move his toes, his legs and they felt healthy. He instantly slid his feet over the side on the bed and rested them on the floor. The floor was cold. Tony loved the floor. He wiggled his toes some more and then stood up.

Instantly the air of the room switched to alarm but Tony didn’t care. He tried to walk but stumbled. His legs felt a little weak but that was because this was the first time they’d ever been used. He stumbled a little bit more and braced himself against the wall. 

Something curled over his arm and he tuned to see what it was. It whipped out of sight and he twisted to follow it almost hitting the doctor behind him. Oh right, his tail.  
“Oh yeah,” said Tony, “You know I never realized how much I wanted a tail until now. Who would have known?”

He staggered to the side; hit the glass window which had the doctor on the other side which said frantically:

“Stark listen to me, you’re not used to your avatar body now this is dangerous.”

“This is great,” Tony told him instead. 

“Stark sit down,” Natasha said through the window, “Before they sedate you and you make a bigger idiot of yourself.”

“Party-pooper,” Tony told her and then proceeded to remove the leads from his body.

“They’ll sedate you!” Spellman told him.

“Only if they catch me first,” Tony informed him and ran away through the door before the doctors sedated him.

Behind him Natasha huffed.

 

Tony ran down the short hallway and through another door into the blinding sunlight. He blinked a few times and shaded his eyes until they adjusted and found himself in the outdoor compound for the avatar bodies.

He grinned and took off aware of the doctors behind him but wanting to do only one thing, something he hadn’t been able to do in a long time: run. Tony Stark ran. Properly. Wind in his face and everything. He flew past avatars doing various exercises on different equipment, ignored Spell man behind him who was yelling something about not running, almost crashed into a man in one of his automated suits and just kept running. 

He finally skidded to a stop in a garden just breathing and looking up and around at everything and grinned like an idiot wiggling his toes in the dirt. 

“Hey Stark!” came a voice.

He looked up to see an avatar coming towards him from out a little house. He squinted at her and then said:

“Grace?” 

“Who’d you expect numnuts?” Sure enough it was Grace. Her avatar certainly did look like her.

“Well this is embarrassing,” Tony said.

“Think fast,” she told him and tossed a purple fruit at his head.

He caught it easily.

“Motor controls looking good,” Natasha commented from behind him.

He nearly jumped a foot in the air and glared at her when she grinned smugly. Then he turned his attention to the fruit and bit into it spraying juice everywhere. It was the most delicious thing he had ever tasted.

“Damn,” he said, “This is actually good.”

“And for once you didn’t make it,” Natasha commented.

“What is your purpose here?” he asked her and took another bite of the fruit. 

“Who’s this?” said a new voice. Tony looked up from his fruit to see another avatar, a male, coming up behind Grace.

“Captain Rogers, this is Tony Stark,” said Natasha.

“Captain,” said Tony holding out his hand. 

“Mr. Stark.” The captain took his hand and shook it firmly. 

“I have to say,” Tony said looking the captain up and down, “That is the most soldierly body I have ever seen. How do you make a Na’vi body look stiff?”

The captain frowned at him like he didn’t know if to take him seriously or not. Luckily for him Natasha came to his rescue.

“Don’t mind him Captain. That’s just how Stark is. Some might say it’s part of his charm.”

The captain made an ‘Ahh’ face and said, “Well nice to meet you.”

“And you,” Tony said. The captain nodded and turned away and walked back to the house. 

Tony looked after him with interest. He had heard about Steve Rogers. The man had been a decorated soldier, who had led his troops fearlessly. Then one day in the war he and his command had gotten hit with some kind of biochemical gas. He alone had survived but his lungs had been messed up terribly and his great frame had shrunken down to little more than a skeleton. They hadn’t even been sure if he would survive the journey to Pandora but he had. He had volunteered for the avatar program back when the military had wanted to use the avatars as soldiers. Rogers had been the first volunteer but something had gone wrong then and Steve had been trapped forever in his avatar body. After that the military pulled out of the avatar program. It didn’t help also that the main scientist who had worked on the project had died of a heart attack two weeks after. The project had been stalled until Tony had worked back out the link to the bodies. However what he couldn’t do was keep anybody in the avatar bodies like Steve. Once they fell asleep they automatically returned to the human bodies. Nobody else could figure it our either. They also couldn’t figure out how to reverse it. 

“Come on Stark,” said Natasha, “There’s somebody here I think you’ll enjoy meeting.”

She took his arm and tugged him forward.

“Don’t let them be friends!” Grace called after them.

Tony was instantly resolved to like whoever it was they were going to meet.

They went behind the house to the garden on that side and came up to a man in a lab coat inspecting the plants there and jotting down notes. He was the only human who didn’t have on a face mask. 

“Dr. Banner,” Natasha called, “I’d like you to meet Mr. Stark.”

The man turned around hurriedly and fixed his glasses. “Nice to meet you,” he said holding out his hand.

“Dr. Banner!” said Tony grinning as he went down on one knee to shake his hand properly. “Very nice to meet you. Your work on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled. And I’m a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into a giant green, Na’vi rage monster.”

Dr. Banner blinked at him and then gave him a strange smile.

“Thanks. So,” he said, “You’re finally here. I see your adjusting well to your new body.”

“I should think so. Anything fun going on in these trees?” Stark asked gesturing to the plants around them.

“If you’re interested in Botany then yes,” said Dr. Banner, “But if not I’m afraid you won’t find them very interesting.”

“I’m on a new planet,” Tony told him, “I think everything is interesting.”

“Well there is that,” Banner said smiling. “Come on, you should go in and let your body rest a bit though. It’s not used to so much movement.”

Tony nodded. “I bow to your superior expertise,” and followed the doctor and Natasha inside the hut. 

Bruce Banner was also someone who Tony had read about. The avatar that he was currently using was a mix of mostly Na’vi DNA with some human DNA. However Bruce had been working on another branch of the science for the military to create super soldiers using gamma radiation Na’vi DNA and incorporating it into humans. He had used himself as a test subject. It hadn’t worked properly. The Na’vi DNA had been incorporated but it was unstable, it hadn’t been able to conform within the human body. The body dealt with the problem by creating a second shape for the good doctor. He turned into a large green, hulking version of the Na’vi when his emotions ran high. It was very destructive but out of control. The military cut funding immediately and steered clear of the idea and Bruce Banner remained with the aftermath. 

Late in the evening, the avatars were put to bed and Grace shooed everybody human out. Tony sat on his bed looking at the port in his hair and trying to calculate the bioelectric current running through it. 

“Don’t play with that,” Natasha told him as she walked past, “You’ll go blind.”

He blinked at it and then put it down. “That’s kind of freaky, he muttered.

Grace closed the doors and they all lay down to sleep. 

“Goodnight kittens,” Grace called, “see you at dinner. Except you Rogers. See you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow,” Rogers called back sleepily. Oh right when Rogers went to sleep, he actually went to sleep.

 

Tony closed his eyes and opened them back inside his unit. The unit opened and he got out, trying not to hate the body he found himself in and at the same time, feeling a strange sort of relief. 

“Are you okay?” a doctor asked him.

“Yeah,” he said. 

He had dinner and then sat in front of the camera doing his video log. Tony was no stranger to video logs He’d been doing the same thing for years now, especially when he had a  
particularly cool project. But it felt strange not to do them with Jarvis or Butterfingers or U. Finally he finished and turned in for real.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Review please! I really like reviews........


	3. Meeting the local Fauna

The next day, Grace, Spellman and him were going to visit Grace’s old school where she had taught the Na’vi before there was dispute between them and humans. Tony was assigned a security detail because Grace said that he didn’t know enough about the Na’vi or their type of science to do anything useful.  Tony was thoroughly insulted and told her he was a quick study but she didn’t budge. This was her piece of revenge and she was going to have it. She ended the argument by telling him that he was at her service and this was his service to her. The top brass had decided they needed a security detail so he was going to provide it.

After that Tony shut up and tried not to notice the pleased look on Natasha’s face. He gave up after three seconds and glared at her. She gave him an innocent smile and turned to look at something on a screen.

A few hours later he found himself inside a quincopter, flying above the most beautiful place he had ever seen. The colors were fabulous and made even better by the colour spectrum in Na’vi eyes. They had a greater colour spectrum than human and their eyes were perfect. His vision was phenomenal. His sense of smell as well.

They whisked over the planet surface and Grace pointed out a herd of emphatically not cows.  The quincopter whooshed over a river and then dropped down a waterfall. Tony couldn’t help but laugh at the invigorating rush of air. This was incredible. He let out a shout, just because he could and the pilot laughed at his excitement.

They dropped out of their ride in the forest and the quincopter swooped away.  Grace led the way through the trees.

“How will they know to find us?” Spellman asked.

“I’m pretty sure they’re watching us right now,” Grace told him.

Tony looked around but was pretty sure he saw nothing. Great.

A few minutes and some four armed monkeys later they found the school and went inside where Grace and Spellman began to clear up the place. Cleaning wasn’t something Tony did so he held on to his gun and just walked around exploring. He saw one of the little purple, was it stingbats Grace had called them?- hanging from the rafters. It snarled at him and went back to sleep. Well hello to you too.

In the background Grace and Spellman talked, like white noise although Tony absently memorized everything they were talking about.

“Are you going to help?” Grace asked him. He opened his mouth to say no and then thought better of it and closed it. He shifted the gun to his back and helped shuffle along a few books and stuff.  

On their way from there Grace and Spellman stopped to take some root samples which by the look of it had some sort of bioelectric current. It was moving at a rapid rate and was transmitting from tree to tree. Tony’s mind instantly became awhirl with the calculations and possibilities. Biology wasn’t his thing but he knew enough about it to speculate. When he tried to peek in though, Grace shooed him away.  He would have pushed but they were going to do some delicate sample taking and Tony Stark was a scientist, he wasn’t that rude to disturb them.

So he wandered off to explore a little bit and add to his own observations.  He came to a colony of large spiral plants. He reached out to brush one and as soon as his hand touched it, it shrunk down, startling him. He jumped back and then huffed out a laugh and touched another. It too went down and he stopped and observed them for a moment and then touched two, one after the other. The movement set them all off they all shrunk down. It would have been funny if the movement hadn’t attracted the attention of a large, barrel-shaped, bar-headed creature.

It looked at him and roared. He instantly put up his gun and aimed at it but held his fire, not sure if that would make it worse. The creature went forward a few steps and roared again, the brightly coloured fan on its head lifting in response to its agitation.  The bugling call had Grace and Spellman running to meet me.

“Stark don’t shoot!” Grace called, “Don’t shoot, that armour’s too thick trust me.”

“I know!” he called back and lowered the gun.  Bar-head knocked down a tree on either side of it and bugled again.

“It’s a territorial threat display do not run,” Grace cautioned.

“So what do I do dance with it?” Tony shot back. “Do a little tango?”

“Just…hold your ground.”

Bar-head killed two more innocent trees. Then it watched him, pawed the ground and charged.

Tony gritted his teeth for a moment and then ran towards it yelling as loud as he could. It was probably the stupidest thing he had ever done but if this thing was going to kill him, it was going to do it on his terms. On the off chance, the charge could also work.

The charge worked. The creature skidded to a stop, bowed its head and its man-fan and turned around and ran away.

Tony let out a surprised laugh. “That actually worked.”

There was a crackle from behind him and then a huge black panther-like creature jumped over him. He ducked at the last second and Pan-panther ignored him and tried to go over to the group of bar-heads but they formed a defensive line.

It turned to look at him. “What about uh-this one?” Tony asked Grace, “Run, don’t run, what?”

“Run!” said Grace, her voice betraying her fear, “Definitely run!”

Pan-Panther leaped at him and Tony Stark ran.

 The pan-panther ran after him, chomping on whatever got in his way whilst Tony scrambled through the foliage just barely missing getting eaten. At one point it got a claw round his foot and he fell but scrambled upright and got himself into a cage formed from roots. It stopped the pan-panther and Tony took the opportunity to shoot at it. The pan-panther roared and spun away but attacked again and swiped the gun from his hand and tossed it away. Tony scrambled out of the cage and ran. He had only gotten a few feet away when the pan-panther got the drop on him. Luckily it bit his bag. It lifted him up and shook him as it gnawed on his bag. He unbuckled himself from the bag and slid out and ran and just kept running, straight off the edge and plunged into the river.

‘This is how I’m going to die’ was his last thought. Then he plunged into the river. The impact didn’t hurt as much as he thought it should have.  He was dragged under water by the current and narrowly missed being scraped by rocks. He fought to get himself upright and finally broke surface. He went back down again but only for a moment.  He drifted over to the opposite bank and grabbed a couple of roots and clung to them breathing heavily. The pan-panther was still there growling at the top but it eventually moved away. Tony sighed and hauled himself up.

“This is not what I signed up for,” he muttered.

Twilight found him whittling the edge of a piece of wood to make a spear.  Tony Stark greatest name in the weapons business and here he was with a spear.

“I guess we really did open Pandora’s Box,” he muttered to himself, unaware that he was being watched. Tony finished his spear and ran off into the woods.

 

The man in black eyed him and shook his head.

“Well he’s going to be dead by nightfall,” he muttered to the little white pod on his shoulder.


	4. The Choosing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony faces the pandorian wildlife at night this time. Luckily he gets some unexpected help. Unfortunately (or fortunately actually) something even more unexpected happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I made Clint, Neytiri in this chapter and that kinda makes me want to laugh.

Nightfall found him making a torch out of some sticky thing from a tree while being surrounded by a pack of pan-hyenas, pyenas. He hurried through the process and frantically tried to light his torch from the matches he had had in his pocket. It caught finally and Tony whirled the torch in an arc to scare off the pyenas.

They shied away from the light and Tony continued to whirl the torch while running trying to avoid himself from being surrounded. The pyenas followed him laughing as they did so. He looked up to find that they were also running along the branches of trees.  He jabbed at them with the fire while running but soon had to pull up short when three pyenas appeared in front of him. He spun again using the fire to keep them at bay. He kept spinning and jabbing but he was surrounded and he knew there was no way he as getting out of this without a fight. The pyenas circled him, snarling and then finally they attacked. He whacked one away with his torch, jabbed at another, lost the torch in the process and drew his knife.  A pyena took him in the chest and threw him down. He sliced at it while he scrambled to get upright. He was soon thrown to the ground again however. He kicked out and got it to let go of his leg only to be knocked down again. Seriously this was starting to get embarrassing.  

This final pyena wasn’t giving up though. Tony struggled against it trying to keep it from eating him. The pyena struggled against Tony trying to eat him. Just when Tony thought the pyena would win, something whistled through the air and the pyena on top of him jerked and became limp. He threw it off got up, only to see a black arrow sticking out of the pyena’s back.

He turned just in time to see a black clad man, a black clad human, jump out of the forest, with an arrow already knocked in his bow. He released the arrow, landed rolled and came up swinging his bow.  He knocked away several of the pyenas but on took him in a tackle. They rolled down a short drop and the man came up in a crouch with a knife in his hand. He stabbed the pyena rapidly and then snatched up his fallen bow and swiped away several more of the pyenas. The pyenas had had enough. They fled from their black clad foe and went into the forest. Tony stood with his knife staring at the man.

The man turned, shaded his eyes from the fire and cursed. He muttered something, fire being the only thing Tony picked up and grabbed Tony’s torch and threw it into the stream.

“Hey!” Tony protested. “That was mine!”

The man ignored him and went off towards one of the wounded pyenas. Tony went to retrieve his torch but before he reached it he suddenly realized he could see just fine. He looked up and around and couldn’t help but breathe in sharply.  The forest was alive, aglow in its own bioluminescent light. Of course! Tony almost slapped himself in the head. Bioluminescence. He should have expected at least a few of the trees to have it.

He abandoned the torch and went off to find the black clad man.

 

* * *

 

 

Clint Barton had been a part of Pandora for almost a year now. He knew what to do. He knew the ways, the rules, the culture, and he respected it, embraced it. So that was why he was here kneeling beside the creature he had shot. He took out his knife and ended its life quickly to end the suffering. Then he placed his hand on its body and said the customary Na’vi words over the body.

He was aware of the other man’s presence just on his periphery. When he was done he opened his eyes and turned his head to find the other man stooping down and staring at him.

“Soo,” the man said, “’Sup?”

Clint frowned at him. “If you want to get out go that way,” he pointed and turned and walked off.

“Whoa! Hold up, Surly!” The man came after him. Clint prayed for patience.

“You’re going the wrong way!” he snapped.

“I know that, I just wanted to say, well, I wanted to say thank you, you know, for saving my blue backside.”

Clint stopped short. “Thank you?” he repeated.

“Yes. You know, what people say to express their gratitude. And it’s my personal belief that a man should repay his debts…”

“This is your fault,” Clint told him sharply.

“My fault!?” said the man, “They attacked me!”

“It is your fault. They didn’t have to die if you weren’t such an idiot!”

“Wow the concern for me is touching!” the man snarked back, “And all I did was try to survive. Is that being idiotic? Frankly I’d like to think not.”

“Like a fricking baby,” the man muttered.

“What that?”

“You’re like a baby, stumbling around in the dark, yelling your head off. Shut up and leave me alone!” Clint snapped.

“And exactly what are you doing here alone?”

Clint just glared at him and trekked across the log bridge.

 

* * *

 

 

Tony stared after the black clad man and then decided it wasn’t worth it. He turned to go the right way and then realized that he had no idea which was the right way. They had taken a lot of turns to get here and for once in his life Tony hadn’t been memorizing where he’d been.

“Hey!” he said and stumbled after the man. “Which way is it back to the facility?”

The man sighed and stopped, hanging his head.

“I already told you,” he gritted out.

“That was there, this is here. New direction required,” Tony told him. He walked out onto the log bridge and almost fell. The black clad man grabbed his t-shirt and steadied him.

Once he was sure Tony wouldn’t fall he let him go.

“It’s…” he began but trailed off and turned to look at something.

It was a lot of little white, glowing, jelly fish-like things. Sky jellyfish. One of them reached near him and Tony swatted it away on instinct.

“Don’t!” said the man sharply, snatching his wrist. Another one came and Tony used his other hand to swat at it again.

“Don’t you idiot!” the man said. “They won’t hurt you.”

“What are they?”

“They’re seeds from the sacred tree. The Na’vi say they have the purest of spirits.”

“Andddd he’s on drugs,” Tony concluded. But he stopped trying to hit the seeds- Jellyfish seeds? - and let them rest on him.

More floated in from somewhere and landed on his arms, his chest, his head. The man let go of his arm and Tony just stood there for a moment.

The black clad man, sighed and said, “Great, just what we needed,” and opened the top button in his jacket.

A white glow peaked out from inside it and then a little jellyfish seed floated out to rest on the man’s shoulder.

“Welcome to the club,” he muttered. The little seed floated to join the ones on Tony and then all of a sudden they floated off of him as if they were blown by a non-existent breeze.

All but one. A single little jellyfish seed remained behind and floated over to the black clad man and rested comfortably on his head.

Tony instantly tried to see if there was one on his head as well. The man rolled is eyes but said, “They’re all gone.”

“So how do you get to keep one?”Tony asked, “And what club am I in? I am very picky abut my membership.”

“Special circumstances,” the man drawled, “And it’s the Eywa thinks you’re special club. Don’t let it get to your head.”

“That’s kind of a moot point with Stark,” said Natasha.

Tony almost fell of the bridge again. The man steadied him and said, “Took your sweet time Romanov.”

“Natashalie,” Tony began only to cut short when he got a good look at her. Natasha Romanov was in a black cat suit, but that wasn’t what had him staring. He finally understood why she had worn a knit cap over her hair. There was her usual riot of red hair but starting from her hair line and running back over her head were thin bioluminescence strips. She saw his look and reached back to show him the strips coming together to form the same kind of port he had at the end of his hair.

“Okay, I’m thinking some explanations are needed, starting with what happened to your hair and how do you know this guy? And shouldn’t you be going blind right about now?”

“Save it Stark,” said Natasha, “and follow me back to camp. And you didn’t see either of us tonight.”

“What?”Tony said but Natasha had already turned to leave He turned to see the man but he was already melting away into the shadows. Where did one find shadows in a bioluminescent forest?

He turned back to find Natasha waiting impatiently for him. He hurried after her.

Natasha led him all the way to the fence and then disappeared and left him to announce himself to the guards. After a while he was cleared to go in and was lead back to the hut when he staggered into bed and fell asleep.

 

* * *

 

 

He came back to himself with Grace flashing a light in his eyes.

“Stark!” she was saying, “Stark. Come on back kid. Come on.”

He blinked, swallowed and stuttered.

“That’s it,” Grace coaxed. “Damn it Stark. You were in there for awhile. Take your time.”

They helped him up and he coughed again.

“Wow,” he said, “That was invigorating. How’s that for a first day?”

“Pretty insane,” Spellman told him. “How’d you find your way back?”

“I’m a genius,” Tony told them, “You expected me not to?”

Behind them all he caught a glance of Natasha, her cat suit hidden under normal clothes. She gave him a cool look and then disappeared.

 

* * *

 

 

Dinner was full of laughs at his expense as Grace retold his escapade with the pan-panther. He shrugged and laughed and claimed that that level of awesomeness wasn’t something that you could teach.  But his mind was much more focused on someone else.

Romanov was smiling along with the others but Tony knew just how good an actor she was.  He waited until most of the others had cleared out before rolling his chair over to her and smiling winningly.

“So Natashalie, I think you and I have things to talk about.”

“Actually I have no idea what you’re talking about. Now if you’ll excuse me…”

“I won’t, excuse you, that is. Now unless you want me shouting out in this room what happened tonight you’re going to give me some explanation. If you don’t want to say anything about your friend, fine, explain about me. Our mystery man said something about the ‘Eywa thinks you’re special club’, that has to do with the jellyfish seeds, so maybe we can start there.”

Natasha just stared at him. “There’s nothing you need to know, Stark.”

“So let’s start with what I don’t need to know,” Tony shot back, “Because I have a feeling I’m going to need to know it.”

Natasha gave him her frustrated face. “There’s nothing to know Stark, so drop it.”

“I think you know me better than that, having you know, spied on me for some time. So let’s skip to the part where you stop being an idiot and start talking.”

“Stark,” Natasha looked angry and then strained, “Look, not tonight at least. Get some rest. Stop thinking about it. We can talk tomorrow.”

“Who else is in it?” Tony asked her, freezing her in mid motion. She slid back into her chair gracefully.

“Who else is in what?”

“In our exclusive membership club?”

“Others,” Natasha said shortly, “We’ll talk later.” She got up fluidly and left the mess hall.

Tony sighed and narrowed his eyes at her back but she was right, he was tired and he needed sleep.

 


	5. Eywa Thinks You're Special Club

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha and Tony talks.

The next day he was forced to take it easy as they worked out the kinks in his Avatar body. The Na’vi luckily healed rather fast but care was still needed. He hadn’t gotten very hurt besides a few cuts and bruises but he had exhausted the body far more than was expected before time so they wanted to be careful.

It was late in the evening and Tony was sitting in the garden behind the little house resting and drinking water when Natasha appeared beside him. She settled next to him tapping away on her starkpad.

“What do you know about Eywa?” she asked finally.

“I’ve heard mentions of it when learning some of the language but not much.”

“The Na’vi consider her to be a guardian sprit,” Natasha told him

“Like a god?” Tony asked.

“No,” Natasha shook her head, “Like the spirit of their planet. It is as if their planet has a sentience formed from the sentience of everything. Kind of like Gaia, in our world.”

“Gaia, spirit of the earth,” Tony mused. “You’re telling me this is a sentience, created out of the linkage of sentience, like a network, a bioelectric network.” His mind worked at super speed linking things together. “Something made of linkage, of connections,” he said, “Like an AI, like Jarvis only it’s NI, natural intelligence. Are you telling me this planet is like a computer and…” he grabbed his hair and pulled it to look at the twisting brown strands, “we jack in. We jack in to a planet wide network. It’s almost a literal web. Is this real Romanov? Cause if you are pulling my tail…”

“I’m not,” Natasha said abruptly. She pulled her knit cap off. “This was gifted to me by Eywa.”

Tony studied her and then said, “So Eywa thinks you’re special too. Did you get the jelly-fish seed treatment too?”

“Yes,” she said, affixing the cap back on. “A little differently from you though. One of the seeds made me follow it. That led to this,” she pointed to her head.

“And you’re just okay with that?” Tony asked her, “Although, with possibility of linking into a biocomputer is awesome so I don’t blame you…”

“Yes,” said Romanov.

“And judging by what mystery man said, he knows about this too. So why does Eywa think we’re special? Not that I’m surprised I’m special.”

“I am,” Natasha told him witheringly, “We don’t know. It’s like a choosing. That’s what I got out of the Omaticya but they don’t really want to talk to us ever since the incident.”

Tony sensed he wasn’t going to get much if he asked about the incident. He went on anther track.

“So who is mystery man?”

Natasha frowned at him. Tony looked back at her innocently.

“You know you could either just tell me or I hack the system and find out. It is impossible to sneak aboard a ship going to Pandora so there must be some record of him.”

Romanov rolled her eyes and said, “His name is Barton. He came here for a tour on Pandora. Halfway through he figured out he didn’t like it. So he ditched. The army thinks he’s dead. We’d like to keep it that way.”

“Ahh. Deserter. Fell in love with the local flora and fauna huh? What is he John Smith? How exactly does he survive out there because I noticed last night he wasn’t wearing a mask? Isn’t he supposed to be dead?”

“You can ask him when you next see him,” Natasha told him. Tony glared at her because anybody who could find shadows in a glow in the dark forest was going to be hard to find.

“Fine have it your way,” he huffed. “So who is in our Eywa club?”

Natasha gave him a disapproving look and said, “Well the three of us and then there is Rogers, Banner and one other, a native but we’re not too sure about him. There’s a way you can tell, something about the way you feel when you’re next to them.”

“Aww,” Tony told her, “I knew you liked me.”

Natasha rolled her eyes and said, “It feels like an electric current only it doesn’t hurt and it’s very subtle. At any rate we don’t know for sure and we’ve never gotten a good look at him. But Stark, Rogers and Banner don’t know what it means. We’ve never told them. I’m only telling you because that idiot said something.”

“Why don’t you tell them?” asked Tony frowning.

“Because I’ve been here for almost two years, Rogers and Banner longer than either Barton and I and nothing has happened. It isn’t necessary. If it does become necessary to tell them, we will. So for now, let it go and just concentrate on what you have to do for Grace.”

“You don’t get to tell me what to do,” Tony told her easily but his tone was sharp. “But, I’ll think about it.”

“Fine,” she said. She got up and walked away. And Tony Stark sat in the garden in an alien world, in an alien body and pondered on what he had learned.


	6. Arguments, Running and Apologies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...some anger and then some fun.

So for the next few weeks Tony kept his head down and did what Grace asked. It wasn’t easy but Tony was strong minded enough to do it. But he watched. He waited. And he did everything in his power to figure out the workings of the sentience, the NI, Eywa. He worked on his Na’vi language skills and his understanding of their culture. Natasha helped. She had been brought in as a communication specialist. She was a liaison between the Na’vi and the humans although right now the there was very little of that. The Na’vi, Tony gathered did not know what to make of Eywa’s gift to Natasha.  They didn’t contest the decision though, but they watched her.

Tony made friends slowly due to his winning personality. Well, not really friends but people would talk to him and that was an improvement.  That came to a grinding halt the day he and Rogers had had a spat though. They both had stormed out after a heated conversation about pasts, bodies and their respective handicaps. ‘Shell of a man’ and ‘half of a man’ had both come up along with ‘lack of conviction for anything about anybody’ and ‘old man who didn’t know when to let go’ with side orders of ‘you don’t how to do anything but kill’ and ‘neither do you.’

The Captain had gotten himself under control first and left leaving a fuming Tony behind.  Tony decided he had had enough with being in a wheelchair and linked in and glared and anybody who tried to stop him.

He woke up in the house where his avatar was resting and scrambled off the bed and went over to the training walls. The captain was nowhere in sight and that was a good thing. Tony threw himself at the walls and tried not to think. Usually this would be the time when he locked himself in his lab and engineered for hours on end but Tony couldn’t stand being confined by himself. Now he needed to move. So he moved. He threw himself over the equipment for about an hour before sitting angrily on the floor, vibrating in place because he wasn’t tired and he didn’t feel the way he wanted to.

He was about to get up and start pacing when Romanov came up to him. She was dressed in cameo with combat boots. She stared down at him and then said:

“Get up Stark, let’s get going.”

“I’m not going back inside!” he snarled at her.

“We’re not going back inside,” she told him and walked away. Tony stared after and wanted to ignore her but his curiosity perked its head up so he grumbled and followed.

He wasn’t so sure it was a good idea when they sneaked past the fence and went into the wilds of Pandora but to turn back meant that Romanov had more guts than he did and Tony Stark was a lot of things but a coward wasn’t one of them, cautious, sometimes, coward, never.

He followed Natasha as she slipped through the forest barely disturbing anything she passed. Tony felt like he disturbed everything there was to disturb and he was in the body meant for this planet. Oh well, Romanov was superspy.  Half an hour into their trail she took off the knit cap and shook out her hair and bondport. She stuffed the cap in a pocket and led continued to lead him through he forest. When it wasn’t night, the strips just appeared as white or sometimes iridescent. The brown wiggling edges curled and spun happily still though. He wondered why she didn’t go blind.

 He was still pondering on it when they came to hill that was level to the top branches of a tree. Natasha slipped into the branches and Tony followed her only to stop short when he saw who the tree’s other occupant was.

“Hey Rogers,” said Natasha.

Oh she had to be kidding him.

Rogers opened his mouth to return her greeting when he caught sight of Tony. The expression on his face probably matched Tony’s.

Natasha looked at both of them and rolled her eyes. “Look you don’t have to talk. This time and this time only, I will play mediator. You both just have to talk to me. But Rogers I thought we could all use a run.”

“Actually,” said Tony, “I’m pretty fine without a run.”

“Oh so you weren’t vibrating in place because the training walls weren’t enough for you?” said Natasha rolling her eyes again. “Fine, but you won’t get to say you did this.” And with that she stepped off of the branch and plummeted.

Tony’s heart hit his throat and he almost fell off of the branch trying to reach her in time. Rogers caught him before he fell and said:

“Stark! She’s fine. Look,” he pointed and Tony looked to see Natasha hit one humongous leaf, slid off of it only to fall on another, slide off that one, twist in the air to catch a leaf on the other side and continue in that way until she reached the ground safely.

Tony’s mouth fell open. Then he grinned.  He straightened up and took a running leap off the branch. For the first few moments it was pure fear, the next moments though were pure exhilaration. Tony whooped loudly and laughed hysterically. The air whooshed past him as he freefalled and he felt like he had left his stomach behind him in the tree, but he felt awesome! Joy whistled though him and he knew he had never felt so alive. He hit the first tree leaf hard and slid off. He yelped as he hit the second and remembered to twist to catch the leaf which was behind him before he missed it. He hit it and slid down to the other one, missed his next leaf and got tangled up in some vines which he twisted out of, hit another leaf and made an ungraceful landing on the ground. He rolled and popped up to his feet the thrill and excitement still singing through him. He looked up at the leaves and couldn’t help the laughter bubbling up from inside him. Strangely enough it felt like he had left all the anger and pain on the top of the tree as well. He bent over double and laughed and staggered a little as his body regained equilibrium.

Rogers landed neatly behind them and his eyes were alight with joy too. Natasha huffed and sprang away from them. Tony followed after her and Rogers came after him. He followed Natasha over a log, up another tree, swinging through some vines, and then down another long drop. He was a little more graceful this time around although Rogers actually beat him to the ground despite starting after him. Natasha didn’t wait for either of them this time.

She took off again and again they followed twisting above this, going under them, balancing precariously as they crossed log bridges, avoiding certain plants and skipping over a tiny stream. All around them animals screamed and chattered and it seemed to Tony that they were cheering them on.  The four armed monkeys swung side by side with them and pelted them with tiny fruit on occasion. Other small insects, all beautiful startled at their mad path, some of them followed them as well, still others, larger rumbled through the forest but didn’t attack, just made themselves known with calls and bugles.

All around them, the world was painted in bright vivid colours and Tony couldn’t remember when was the last time he had ever seen anything so alive on earth. He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt this way, this alive. He wondered if he ever had.  They finally came to a stop in little pool which Natasha splashed into without a second thought. Rogers followed her and let out a groan of happiness. Tony did the same when his skin came into contact with the cool water. The three of them just waded around in the pool for a little while before dragging themselves out and climbing a tree as high up as they could go and watched the sun creep down the sky.

Tony sat down on a branch and leaned his head against the trunk of the tree, and stared out at the pastel sky and with its various assortments of planets and moons as soft additions to a cotton candy sky. And he was content. The earlier upset was gone, washed away by a tide of something. Rogers sat on another branch to his right, mirroring Tony’s position and Romanov was to his left, sitting on a branch, her back free, swinging  her legs as she too, stared out at the sky.

“Stark,” called Rogers softly.

He turned his head lazily and said, “Speak, my minion.”

Rogers’ face screwed up and he said, “I’m not your minion. But I do want to say I’m sorry. About earlier. I shouldn’t have said what I did.”

“Are you trying to say you didn’t mean it?”

“I meant it then,” said Rogers honestly, “But I don’t what I said is true and I don’t have any right to have said them. They were just terrible assumptions based on your reputation and I shouldn’t have made those assumptions at all.”

Well then. Tony wasn’t big on apologies. This was usually the time when he told people he didn’t care for their apologies and took away their pension if he could, but…this time was different. Rogers was straight up with him and that was rare. And there was something in the air…something about today, about this moment that he didn’t want to ruin. He wasn’t a sentimental man or a soft one or a moods and moments person either, but there was something, so he just waved his hand and said, “Accepted and my complements run much the same way to you.”

Rogers blinked at him for a moment and then said, “Also accepted.”

“Are you done gazing into each other’s eyes now?” asked Natasha in a bored tone.

Tony flipped her off and said, “How are you still not blind? Better yet, those leaf tumbles aren’t for a human body to make yet you made them. How are you not dead?”

Natasha shrugged and said, “Eywa gave me more than one gift. Although that one took some time to show up. My bones aren’t strictly human anymore. They are now reinforced with carbon fiber same as the Na’vi.”

“How does that even work?” Tony asked.

Natasha shrugged, “I don’t know. It doesn’t bother me enough to ask.”

Tony turned to Rogers. “Are you not interested in this?”

Rogers shrugged. “It is interesting,” he said, “But my main concern, that it would hurt Natasha was proven null so not as much. I don’t know how it was done, but I don’t think it’s something that was done lightly. This planet does not give so freely. It usually requires an exchange; it’s more about balance than anything else. You can see it in the Na’vi culture too. It’s all about balance. What it wants back in return though, that worries me.”

Tony hadn’t thought about it like that and filed it away for future thinking. “It’s like she coded you,” he said finally, “Like she found a way to jack you into the network and then changed part of your code or added to it.”

“Close enough,” said Natasha, “But I think you have to be willing or it won’t work.”

“Why were you willing?”

“You don’t need to know Stark,” Natasha said simply but somehow her tone told Tony he could pry for the rest of his life and never get an answer.

“Fine, go be mysterious.”

Natasha rolled her eye at him again and Rogers stood up, and said, “We should get going before it gets too dark.”

Tony actually agreed.


	7. And Now The Plot Really Starts.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Natasha talks. Also a villain appears.

They found Banner waiting for them in the garden where they slipped back inside the fence. He didn’t appear like he was waiting for them per say, but it was clear that that was what he was doing despite the tablet in his hand which he was entering data into. He gave them a his trademark half smile, the one that had both power and peace wrapped up in one and turned away to inspect a plant.

“Dr. Banner,” said Rogers nodding.

“Captain,” said Banner.

“Waiting up for us Brucie-boy?” Stark asked him.

Bruce gave them that strange smile and said, “Someone has to responsible sometimes.”

Natasha gave an amused snort. “You could have joined us.”

“Ahh, no,” he said. He took off his glasses and replaced them. “Pandora’s no place for me to go wandering around the way I am right now. The peaceful life is more my forte.”

“Nothing is more peaceful than sitting in a tree,” Tony told him, “Next time you should come.”

“The tree is fine; it’s getting to it that’s not.” His smile turned oddly sharp.

“Well,” said, Tony, “We’ll find a way. You look like the type who always dreamed of tree houses. Come on Doc, let’s get back and you can show me what you’ve got on that tablet.”

Bruce looked like he might protest but Tony put a hand on his back and propelled him along with him. Banner sighed but followed him happily enough.

 

* * *

 

 

The next day Natasha found Tony sitting at a screen rotating the image thoughtfully.

“That’s the home of the Omaticaya,” she said, referring to the extremely large tree on the screen.

“I know,” Tony said, “Which is placed directly above the largest Unobtainium deposit in two hundred clicks.”

“Yes,” said Natasha.

“It’s a powerful metal,” Tony mused, “And it’s what we came here to get. It’s what you were brought here to do isn’t it?  Talk the natives out of the tree?”

“Yes,” said Natasha, “But they won’t move. We have nothing to offer them and even if we did I wouldn’t tell the boss.”

“No you wouldn’t,” Tony murmured.

“It’s their home Stark,” said Natasha.

“And what, Natashalie, do you think is going to happen if they don’t leave?” Tony asked her, “When the government, when the army here realizes that they will never leave. Do you think they’ll give up? No, they’ll do what we’ve always done. They’ll take what they want.”

“And what are you trying to do?” asked Natasha, lifting an eyebrow.

“Trying to find a way to soften the blow, figure out a way to get at the unobtainium without killing the tree, or damaging it. Much.”

Natasha glared.  “There is no way you can do that. Anything you do is going to be met with resistance. And frankly I don’t blame the Na’vi for it. Stark even a little hurt is a big hurt when it comes to that tree.”

“I know,” said Stark, “and getting the Natives more fired up isn’t going to help.”

“Why are you doing this anyway?” said Natasha, “This isn’t you usual MO Stark.”

Tony pushed away from the screen and looked away. “I don’t know,” he finally admitted. “But…I look out there and I see colour. Now I’m the most steel and glass guy you’re probably going to find out there, you know that.”

“Everybody knows that Stark.”

“I mean I built Co2 scrubbers, and water purifiers and clean energy and earth lives. But dammit, it’s only alive because of that. And there isn’t any of that,” he waved his hand to indicate Pandora, “there anymore. We used to have it but it isn’t there. And if it was, we wouldn’t need any of the scrubbers or purifiers.  Pandora doesn’t need any of that but if we do this, excavate this whole planet; we’re going to end up making the same mistakes again. And you know, I really hate mistakes.”

Natasha raised an eyebrow. “Maybe I should take you on runs more often.”

“Screw you, Romanov,” Stark told her.

“In your dreams Stark.”

“Careful my dreams are big and blue now.”

“And still susceptible to knives,” she said smirking.

Tony opened his mouth and then closed it. Natasha smiled sweetly at him and then whisked out the room.

Banner came in as she went out, took one look at him and said, “She threatened you huh?”

Tony scowled at him and tuned back to his screen. Bruce came and peered at it as well.

“Huh, that’s an interesting idea,” he said.

“Natashalie thinks it won’t work.”

“Probably not,” said Bruce, “but if push comes to shove, it’s an idea to fall back on.”

Tony sighed and pushed back from the screen. “What are you working on Brucie-bear?”

Bruce gave him a look but handed over his tablet. They spent the next few hours bouncing ideas off of each other.

 

* * *

 

 

Later that night, far away from the human facility, at the base of the Tree of Souls, a dark figure crept in. His skin was light blue, and etched in scars. Luminous spots dotted his skin and in his hand he held something that was neither Na’vi nor Pandorian. It was metal, grey, and of earth. It had a long antenna and a vicious spike on the other end.  His hair, long and dark, fell over his face, but the brown twisting ends, meant to make the halo, were unmoving and dark. He hopped over the roots lightly until he found the right place and then without further ceremony, stabbed the long spike into the base of the tree.  A sharp spark went up but the figure let go of the object in time. Then he took a remote out of the satchel he had and rubbed a thumb over a button savoring the moment and then pressed it.

The long luminescent tendrils of the Tree instantly began to flicker wildly, colours running up and down. Random pulses of light scattered from its base to the world around it. Plants shivered and shook and animals screamed.

The figure stood and smiled in appreciation of the chaos happening around him.

“Now, suffer,” said Loki, “As I have suffered.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what do you think of that?


	8. Eywa Calls Her Club (Most of Them)

Far away Clint Barton was just about to shoot the equivalent of a pandorian deer when the little seed on his shoulder drifted over to his cheek and shocked him. His eyes rolled up and he lost consciousness. He fell onto the ground twitching, bow falling out of his numb fingers.

 

* * *

 

 

Tony and the others were just about to head back into the shed when he spotted the little jellyfish seed coming towards him. He frowned.

“What are you doing here?” The seed of course didn’t answer. It just drifted over to him and made to land on his head.

“Seriously are we going to do this again?” Tony asked it. It landed on his head and Tony felt a sharp jolt and fell unconscious, twitching.

Natasha, alerted by his fallen body rushed over to him. “Stark! Stark!” she called, shaking him. Just then the little seed brushed over her hand and she too fell unconscious, slumping over him, body twitching from the shock.

Rogers rushed over to both of them but stayed back, as Grace called a warning. But another little seed which had floated in brushed his neck and he too jerked and went unconscious.

Bruce Banner in the garden behind the hut did not know about the commotion and only felt the jolt from behind him. He too lost unconsciousness and fell. Inside the beast raged but this affected it too and there was nothing it could do.

 

* * *

 

 

Tony regained consciousness slowly. It took him a few confused moments but he then realized that he was in the medical bay, back in his own body.  He groaned a little and blinked at the bright lights in the ward. He turned his head and noticed that Natasha and Bruce were lying in beds next to his own.

Tony swallowed harshly and smacked his lips and sat up with effort. This gave him the vantage to see through the glass window set in the wall to the next med bay in which Rogers lay as well. He was stirring too though.

Groans from two voices alerted him to the fact that Natasha and Bruce were also waking.  Natasha snapped into a sitting position with so much force Tony’s back hurt. Bruce on the other hand was breathing harshly and clenching his fists.

“Hey Brucie-bear,” said Tony conversationally and winced at how wreaked his voice sounded, “You could really use water too huh? I’m more inclined for a drink but I don’t know your tastes. What do you like to drink, seriously? Cause I’m sure I could ship some of the good stuff here. We’d have to wait about six years for it but you know….”

Bruce turned and gave Stark a very green glare but his rapid breathing slowed and soon he unclenched his fists.

“What happened?” said Natasha after the awkward pause.

“It felt like one of the jelly fish shocked me,” Tony told her. His head still felt sore in the spot. “It must have shocked you after.”

“You went down right after he did, Romanov,” Steve said, startling them. He was awake and standing by the glass window.  “I think I went down after you too as well but I wasn’t near you.”

“Stark are you sure it was a seed?”

“Yes, I saw it. I thought it was going to repeat it’s little ‘let’s all land on the person’ thing, but it obviously didn’t. What happened to you Banner?”

“I don’t know,” said Bruce, “I was in the garden checking out my plants and then like a shock? I went down fast, that I know and that doesn’t usually happen. Never has actually.”

Tony in the meantime had been staring around at the occupants in the room and then said, “Uh, Natashalie?”

“Yes?”

“Judging by who here and who’s not, do you think your mystery man is probably now waking up as well?”

Natasha stared t him, eyes widening as she took in their companions.

“Yeah I think now it’s necessary to tell them,” Tony told her, sarcastically.

“Tell us what?” said Banner frowning.

“Romanov?” said Rogers, “Something to tell us? Since we are the only ones here and that seems to mean something.”

“Have either of you ever has some same white seeds, they look like tiny jellyfish, land on you all, just for a few moments?” Natasha asked them both.

“Yes,” said Rogers, “The first time I went into the forest. I’d see those seeds sometimes but it never happened again.”

“The first time I woke up…after my accident I was covered in them,” Bruce said softly.

“Well among the Omaticaya that means something,” Romanov told them, “It’s happened to me and Stark…”

“And a mystery man,” Rogers interrupted.

“A friend,” Natasha said. “Yes him too.”

“And we’re the only people who are in here. Knocked out by those same seeds,” Bruce said thoughtfully.

“What do the seeds mean?” Rogers asked her.

“It means you’re in the ‘Eywa thinks you’re special club,” Tony told him.

Romanov shot him a look and then said, “It happens to those that Eywa has chosen,” Natasha said.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Rogers said, “And how did you know about that for that matter? I’ve never told anyone.”

“For the latter, we can kinda sense it; if you concentrate you can probably tell. And as for why we didn’t say anything, well you’ve been here for a long time Rogers and Banner has been here before me as well. Since nothing happened in the intervening time or any time after that, we figured it made no sense to have everyone looking out for something that may not come. After all we only have the Omaticaya’s word that that is what it means. It could also mean that someone just has favour with Eywa.”

“Like you,” said Rogers and Natasha nodded.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but the Omaticaya has never been very wrong about their culture,” Bruce said.

“It still made no sense to have everyone wired about it.”

“But you told Stark,” Rogers said.

“My friend opened his big mouth and I told Stark to stop him from opening his,” Natasha retorted.

“Um, in my experience with doctors, aren’t hey supposed to be here by now, if they weren’t already?”

Tony said, frowning.

The others stopped and looked around frowning as well.

“They should have been here by now,” Natasha said nodding. She got up off her bed and went to the door. It was locked.

Natasha typed in a code but it stayed locked.  Natasha peered through the glass potion of the door trying to see if anyone was there.

“No one by us. I’m not even seeing movement in this wing,” she said, frowning deeply.

“Something must be wrong,” Rogers said.

“Let me get at the door,” Stark told her.

Unfortunately the key pad was too high for him to reach from his chair.

Bruce and Natasha had to push a small table over to it and then hoist him up onto it so he could get to work. Which he did using medical tools from the cupboard in the corner.

“Don’t worry boys and girl, I’ll get us out of here in a jiffy,” he muttered.

 

* * *

 

Clint Barton woke up to the sound of the world going crazy.  He groaned and sat up with a hand going up to his forehead.

“What did you do that for,” he muttered looking for the little seed that was always beside him. He drew in a sharp breath when he noticed the burnt out remains of it stuck to his collar. And cursed. He took it gently in his hands and tried to understand what had happened but couldn’t. The corpse fell apart in his hands. Clint gently allowed the pieces to float away.

He reached for his bow and arrow and got up and took stock of his surroundings. The world was going crazy.  That hadn’t been a false assessment from a woozy brain. All around him the usually bioluminescent forest had rapid pulses of light going up and down it and outward and inward, crashing into each other whist animals screamed and screamed. Trees shook and some plants were opening and closing rapidly.

He heard loud crashes as animals ran around crashing into things. Clint took one more look around and decided that it was not safe for him.  He needed to get out of here and then figure out what had happened.

He held his bow tightly and then set off for the facility hoping that he wouldn’t get killed before he reached there.

 


	9. A Plan Is Made.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and the others come up with a plan.

Tony was halfway through with the door when Natasha frowned and began to shake her head. Before they could ask her what was wrong she pulled off the knit cap which she had still had on and grabbed at the ends of the bioluminescent strands. Instead of the ends twirling like they usually did, they were limp and silent. Natasha stared at them in horror and turned to look at Rogers.

Tony turned too and found that Rogers was standing with his hair in hand, the port end also limp and silent like Natasha’s. They were looking at each other with identical expressions.

“What happened?” Tony asked, concerned.

Bruce gently held Natasha’s hand and turned it this way and that to get a good view of the port. “I don’t know,” he said finally, “They’re just not working anymore.”

“She locked us out,” said Natasha, suddenly.

“What?” said Rogers.

“From the system,” said Tony, “If Pandora is like a giant computer system, she locked us out of the system.”

“But why would she do that?” asked Natasha.

“No idea,” said Tony, “Let’s get out and find out.” He applied himself to the door and it hissed open a few moments later. Tony got into his wheelchair and headed over to the other door which kept Rogers captive. It too soon hissed open and then they all headed down the hallway to the door which separated their sector from the others. They met no one and no one came to investigate the illegally opened doors.

When they came to the door and peered through it they could see a lot of frantic movement outside.

“It looks like a lot of people are hurt,” Natasha said looking through, “and they are preparing for a lot more to come in. I suspect that’s why there’s no one here, they’re all busy.”

“How did they get hurt?” Rogers asked, “Can you tell? Was it an accident or…

“I see Na’vi arrows,” Bruce reported.

“Where’s Grace?” asked Tony, “Do you think they’re out there?”

“Could explain why they’re not here,” Natasha said, “But that’s dangerous, the Na’vi have no lost love for us. They could harm Grace and the others as well.”

“The question is,” said Rogers, “why are they doing this? Why now? As far as I know there was nothing done to provoke them.”

“Unless we started it,” Bruce offered quietly.

“Also an option,” Tony said, “The one that makes the most sense actually.”

The captain frowned.  “We need to get to the lab,” he said finally. “Can you open this door Stark?”

“Yes, but should we go out this way? I mean we aren’t supposed to be out of medical.”

There was a pause and then Natasha said, “There’s another way. But it leads to the outside. Stark and I will need masks.”

“There should be some,” said Bruce.

They went back to their room and found only one. There were others in the wing but they were behind closed doors.

“Take it Stark,” said Natasha, “I can hold my breath and move faster than you. I’ll be alright.”

Tony grimaced but took it because she was right. They went to what was apparently the emergency door and Tony sprung that open as well. Natasha took a deep breath and then dashed outside.

Bruce followed after her and Steve pushed Tony outside and across the compound at a rapid clip before Tony had a chance to protest.

They were almost to the science lab when a black figure dropped down from the ceiling. Natasha almost attacked him before she recognized it.

“Barton!” she said and then pushed past him to get inside. He followed her and then they were all inside. Natasha folded over and took several deep breaths. Tony peeled the mask off his face and said:

“Hey mystery man.”

The man frowned at him and now that they were in better light he could see that he had several wicked bruises and a cut on his cheek.

“What are you doing here Barton?” asked Natasha.

“The world’s gone crazy,” Barton replied, “figured it was safer in here. I was right.”

“What do you mean?” asked Rogers.

“Take a look out,” said Barton jerking his chin towards the door they had just come in. However Natasha went down the corridor to Stark and Banner’s workspace avoiding everyone cleverly and sat down at the computer. She soon brought up the camera feed of the outside fences and they all drew in sharp breaths, except Barton of course.

The forest was a wild kaleidoscope of lights.

“It seems as if everything is trying to kill everything,” Barton said. “Even the docile ones. I don’t know what has gotten into them.”

“Did you get shocked by the seed as well?” Banner asked Barton.

Barton eyes narrowed and slowly nodded. “What going on Nat?” he said, frowning.

“We all got shocked into unconsciousness,” Natasha informed him “We woke up not too long ago.”

“I must have woken up a little bit before you then,” he said, “The world hadn’t gone crazy when I went down though. The seed is dead as well. I found it. Looked like it got burned out.”

They were all shocked and then Natasha said, “Why would Eywa do that? Burn out her own seeds, and lock us out as well?”

“Why you pull out your thumb drive frantically from a computer?” Tony asked suddenly, “Because the computer has a virus,” he answered himself. “You don’t want it to get to the uncorrupted data to so you sever the link to the computer.”

“You think Eywa has a virus?” asked Banner.

“Or the equivalent,” Tony said, “It would make sense. We’re not going crazy, but everything that has a link to Eywa is.”

“But Tony what about Grace and the others? If they’re outside there in their Avatars, would that leave them susceptible to the virus?” Rogers asked.

“It might,” said Tony, “but I don’t know.”

“I’ll find out,” said Natasha, “We can just say medical released us. No one here knows anything.” She slipped out the room while the others stood around awkwardly.

“So who are you?” asked Rogers to Barton.

“Clint Barton,” he replied, “Came to fight the Na’vi but it didn’t sit well with me so I moved out. Been living on my own since. An acquaintance of Romanov.”

“Oh right,” said Tony, “I was supposed to ask. How are you breathing out there without a mask?”

Barton scowled and said, “I ate a plant.”

“Eating the plant allows you to metabolize the Pandorian atmosphere?” Bruce asked intrigued.

“The plant isn’t dead,” said Barton, “It’s a symbiotic relationship. It lives inside me and metabolizes it for me. I give it a place to stay.”

Tony blinked. “Well that’s something new for my nightmares.” Rogers looked like he agreed with him.

“It doesn’t harm you at all?” Bruce said, even more excited.

Barton shook his head and retreated to the other side of the room and settled into a chair, He didn’t look exhausted but even so they could all tell he was.

Steve rummaged around in a cabinet and pulled out one of Tony’s snack bars and tossed it to him. Barton caught it, inspected it and then tore into it.

Tony glared at Rogers and then indicated for him to toss him one as well. Steve did so and then gave one to Bruce and had one himself. When Natasha returned, he handed her one.

She checked the flavor and then opened it.

“Grace and the others have gone out but their brain waves are highly abnormal.” She took a bite of the bar. “They’re not waking up and stopped responding to comms. about three minutes in. The comms. all went off line two hours ago. They’re trying everything to get them back online but no luck so far. It’s most likely that they were destroyed.” Natasha chomped on her bar again and swallowed before continuing. “Stark your Avatar is here in the lab. The port is dead as well. It out of diagnostics though and is just resting.”

“Do you think that the shock would interfere with me linking back to it?” Tony asked her.

“I don’t know,” she replied, “Let’s go see.”

Tony, Natasha and Bruce went over to Tony’s unit. He got into it, and Bruce closed it over him while Natasha punched in the startup sequence into the computer. After a few moments the disorienting swirl of the link hit him and Tony opened his Na’vi eyes.

He sat up and waved to them from the other room. “I’m good,” he said, “Nothing different. Except for my hair.” It felt like a blank spot and like if he had suddenly lost one of his senses. Not pleasant and mildly panicking. It reminded him too much of not being able to move his legs. He lay back down and closed his eyes and fell asleep and woke back up in the unit.

Bruce and Natasha helped him out into his wheelchair and then they went back to Steve and Barton to report their findings.

They found them crouched over the first aid kit, with Barton cleaning the cut on his cheek and Rogers clearing wanting to help, but not being allowed to. Natasha cursed at Barton in Russian, grabbed the gauze away from him and set about tending the cut herself.

She snapped something else at him in Russian and he scowled and nodded.

“Take it off,” she ordered him.

Clint’s glower deepened but he stripped out of his gear, to bare his upper body. On his back was a nasty looking cut where something had punched through the gear to cut him.

Banner reached for the kit on automatic only to freeze when Barton pinned him with a stare. Natasha touched his shoulder and he turned to look at her. She nodded and Barton relaxed and gave Banner a nod.

Banner took what he needed from the kit and set to work. He soon glued together the wound, placed a large watertight plaster over it and wiped the blood off Clint’s back.

“Okay, so I can link to my avatar but my hair is ruined, like Natashalie’s and Roger’s,” Tony reported.

“What is he talking about?” Barton asked Natasha. She showed him her hair and his eyebrows rose in surprise.  “That’s not good.”

“Understatement of the century,” Banner muttered.

“What about Grace and the others?” Steve asked.

“Infected,” Tony replied.

“Most likely,” Natasha said, “Their brain waves show abnormal patterns and the others have lost contact with them. They can’t take them out of the unit without significant harm being done right now. They’re linked in tighter than they should be.”

“So we can’t get them out,” said Rogers.

Natasha shook her head.

“And if they’re infected, then it’s safe to assume the Na’vi are as well and that’s why they’re attacking the facility.”

“Yep,” said Tony.

“And the only people who might be able to tell us how to fix this are the Na’vi,” Steve summed up.

“Depressingly yes,” said Bruce rubbing his forehead.

“Wait,” said Clint. He turned to Natasha, “What about the other one? He is Na’vi right? So if we’re not infected, maybe he wouldn’t be as well right?”

“What other one?” Roger’s demanded.

“Barton and I have sensed another one of us on occasion, out in the forest. It’s a rare occasion but it’s happened enough times that we feel sure there is a native out there who has also been chosen by Eywa.”

“So if we find him…” Rogers began.

“He can tell us what how to fix this,” Banner finished.

“Target acquired,” said Tony and grinned at them. “What are we waiting for?

 

* * *

 

 

Two hours later and thus sometime early in the morning, they snuck through the hyperactive border patrols, avoided the attacking Na’vi and finally entered deep into the forest where only the animals and plants were trying to kill anything they could.

They stopped for a breather on a violently shivering tree. When they had all gotten their breath back, they faced each other; the shifting colors making everyone look like they were at a disco.

“There must be something wrong with the Tree of Souls,” Natasha told them. “That’s the only way I can think of that someone could do this.”

“But who would do this? “ Barton asked, “Not, the Na’vi, for sure. And no human would get near that tree unless chosen.”

“Well let’s see if we can get there,” said Rogers, “And figure it out. After all that’s where our counterpart would look first as well right?”

“If he’s smart, yes,” Tony told him. He turned to Romanov. “After you Natashalie.”

She glared at him and then set off along the branches. Apparently the fact that the branch was shaking violently meant nothing to her. Rogers too set off along the branch, not as gracefully sure, but not bad either. Tony started after them, the last few minutes giving him enough practice that he didn’t fall off, but he didn’t look as sober as the others did.

Banner followed after him, not as graceful as the others, not as bad as Tony.

“How exactly are you keeping up here?” Tony asked him, curiously.

“Being able to metabolize the Pandorian atmosphere wasn’t the only side effect that stays in this form,” Banner replied. “I don’t go out much so I’m not as good as they are.”

“Huh,” said Tony and then jumped off of the tree following the others down. 

Human bodies aren’t able to survive the long drop and subsequent impact of the fall. At least not without severe injury.  Watching Barton, Tony realized that Barton’s body hadn’t gotten that memo.

He landed a few moments after the others and Bruce thudded down after him soon enough. They set off after their companions, dodging wild flying creatures and insects with sharp bites and stingers with neurotoxin. All under strobe lights.

It was interesting running on something that was continually shifting and where each misstep quite possibly meant your death. It was both exhilarating and frightening. But Tony Stark was not a coward and neither were the men and woman with him.

The pale of dawn was just showing up when the world went silent.

It was like stepping into a soundproof room. They halted in their progress and looked around, wary for whatever had made it all stop but nothing reared its head. After a while they relaxed for a fraction and took closer look at the situation. Everything had indeed stopped. The animals just quieted down and insect and bids rested into trees and didn’t really move.

“What happened?” asked Tony.

“Either our counterpart fixed whatever was going wrong, or he didn’t and things just got worse,” Rogers said.

“Why can’t it get better?” Tony asked just because.

“Cause nobody implants a virus to make things better.”

“Touché.”


	10. Thor-odi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter Thor.

 

Cautiously they made their way through the forest. They met no resistance for a long time until they were about ten miles from the Tree. Then they were met with a line of Na’vi warriors. They would let no one through and there was no way to get past them. It was obviously from the blankness in their eyes they were being controlled but it was a strange sort of control. The Na’vi were being directed but their own minds were dictating how to carry out the orders they relieved. They were puppets who thought.  They were given one stern warning and that was it. The group retreated and conferred in the trees.

“We need to get past them,” Rogers said.

“Actually if we can’t get past them would our other unknown buddy be able to?” Tony asked.

“I don’t know,” Rogers admitted.

“He could also be approaching from an entirely different side and have gotten through there,” Bruce said

“No,” said Barton, “Whoever is doing this is never going to let anyone near that tree.”

Before anyone could say anything else though an arrow slammed into the tree truck next to Natasha.

“Wha…?” said Tony.

“They’re attacking!” said Rogers.

“But we didn’t do anything!” Tony said, thoroughly offended.

“I think they changed their minds about the terms,” Natasha said.

Na’vi warriors headed towards them and more arrows whizzed around them.

“I have to get out of here!” Bruce said sounding panicked. His skin was showing up green in some places.

“Uh, green Alert!” said Tony.

“Retreat!” Rogers snapped.

They ran. Banner was having problems. Forcing down the change was keeping his mind occupied and as such he wasn’t paying attention to the route and almost fell more than once. Tony kept him upright as they fled through the forest.

Barton was the only one of them who was returning fire and was covering their retreat.  It wasn’t enough though. Natasha grimaced and finally took out her hand guns and shot. Tony glanced back and noticed that both she and Barton took care not to fatally hit the Na’vi.

Unfortunately it still wasn’t enough. An arrow whizzed past Tony and he snatched it out of the air and threw it like a spear towards the nearest Na’vi. It hit him in the chest and threw him off the branch he was standing on.  Banner stumbled and Tony steadied him.

Rogers swatted an arrow that would have embedded itself into Tony’s back and ripped off a branch and tossed at two of the Na’vi. One got hit but the other escaped and threw his spear at Rogers. Rogers neatly sidestepped, caught the spear and ran. He used the spear to sweep away attacking Na’vi or bat away arrows.

But despite all that, they were going to be caught anyway and probably killed. Tony could see Na’vi flanking them and moving ahead to cut them off.

Then one of the flanking groups wobbled. Two of them fell off the branch they were on. Three others were swept away by the Na’vi who was attacking them. Another one ducked the swing of the new Na’vi and grappled with him. It was a lost cause though. The new Na’vi easily threw him off and smacked his attacker in the face with what looked like a large hammer.

“That way!” Barton shouted, pointing toward the new Na’vi. The changed direction and headed for the opening, fighting attackers all the way.

The new Na’vi, Buff, Tony decided to name him, kept the opening clear for them and as soon as they were all clear, followed them. They ran for their lives and fought for their lives and together the six of them were enough.

Finally the Na’vi stopped giving chase. They continued to run for awhile and finally all crawled up into a tree that looked safe and collapsed in the branches to catch their breath.

Bruce had his eyes closed tightly and his fists clenched whilst he fought with the beast inside. Finally though he relaxed and slumped against the truck clearly exhausted.

“So Buff,” Tony said casually, “Who are you?”

The new guy frowned at Tony confused and then said, “I am Thor’odi, Son of Odin’bo.”

“Odin’bo?”said Natasha frowning, “That’s the clan leader of the Omaticaya. You are next in line?”

Thor’odi eyes darkened and shook his head. “No. I am…banished, I think is your word. I am not of the People anymore. I have not been for many years.”

“Why?” Tony asked before anybody could stop him.

Thor’odi glances at him and then said, “I love one of you. One of your people. Jane Foster is her name. She sleeps now.”

Tony whistles and the others look startled because Jane Foster. Jane Foster was the person who had discovered Pandora. She and her team. Tony didn’t know what had happened to her though. He had assumed she was dead because Pandora had been discovered a long time ago. The distance and the ships’ capabilities had made colonization slow though. Back in the day it had taken about twenty years for them to reach from Earth to Pandora. Luckily communications had been fairly fast with only a day lag in between. Rogers was the only one of them here though who had made the twenty year trip though.

“I know her,” Rogers said, “She does still sleep.”

“Does she fare well?” Thor’odi inquired.

“Yes,” said Rogers, “She’s fine.”

Tony looked at Romanov inquiringly and she said, “Foster and others of her team choose to stay in cryo for years at a time. Especially because the travel time was so long and it was easier to do so when they had to wait for equipment. A long time ago they went into cryo and stayed there. There is a date they are supposed to come out but I don’t know it.”

Tony blinked and then said, “I’m thinking maybe Foster’s decision mayn’t have had to do with the science as much as we all thought.”

He caught a flicker of a grin on Barton’s face before it was smoothed away professionally.

“Tell me, how are you all not affected by what has happened?” Thor’odi asked, “I have seen others of your kind and they are under control as the others are.”

“We have all been chosen by Eywa,” Natasha said, “Her seeds came to us. Yesterday these same seeds landed on us and shocked us.” She showed him her hair. “This is the result. We believe that she locked us out to prevent us from that fate.”

Thor’odi’s face had changed though when seeing her hair thought He appeared pained though he tried to hide it.

Natasha picked up on it though and she asked softly, “Thor’odi, what is it?”

He hesitated and then showed her his hair. It too was limp. “I was not visited by Eywa’s seeds as you all were,” he said haltingly. “This is a consequence of my banishment. I was cut off from The People…from everything.”

Everyone blinked at him for  moment and then were about to break out in various cries of outrage but all choked them back down when Natasha made a movement that clearly meant: ‘abort!’

Tony clamped his teeth shut abut seethed inside. That landed firmly in the space marked ‘cruel’. He knew, a little, how much oneness with their land and with their people meant, how much a part of their life it was and so he could understand, a little, how much it hurt. And even that little understanding told him, that it was too much, far, far too much. 

A part of Tony though was wondering why he was so angry. He didn’t really sympathize with people. After Yinsen, Tony had decided that interaction was best served cold. But somehow, he couldn’t seem to apply the philosophy now. He frowned again wondering what had happened to change his mind. Tony Stark did not like outside interference with his brain, thank you very much. He concentrated and tried to parse through his own thoughts looking for the answer. In the end he found it not in his brain, but rather in his chest. It felt like a subtle vibration. If he was back in his human body he would have said it was the arc reactor, but he wasn’t in his human body. It finally dawned on him that what he was feeling was what Romanov had been talking about; the ability to sense one another. And they were all together now, the chosen ones. It felt like a bond, like a source of energy, like a strength. Tony shook his head and tuned back into the conversation which had started back around him.

Natasha had evidently soothed Thor’odi and was asking him if he had ever been chosen by Eywa. He nodded.

“In my youth,” he said, “Then your people came and I thought that this was my purpose, but it was not. But I found my Jane and I cannot regret it.”

“What can you tell us about what’s happening?” Rogers asked.

“The Tree of Souls has been harmed,” said Thor’odi. “With what I do not know. I managed to get close to it sometime earlier today but was forced out. There is a device. It appears human made. However it is wielded by my brother Loki’odi.”

“Your brother?” asked Clint.

Thor’odi nodded.

“I’ve never heard of him,” Natasha said frowning. “Would he not be in line for leader?”

Thor’odi shook his head. “Very rarely it has happened but my brother was born without the ability to connect with Eywa and world. For this reason he could not be considered. He could not become a warrior as he could not bond with an igran. He spent much time away from the hometree. He left soon after I was banished, for good. We have never heard of him since.”

“Could you tell what the device was for?” Banner asked.

Thor’odi shook his head. “Nay. It was stabbed in to the roots of the Great Mother. My brother held another device in his hand though. It had….things to push?”

“Buttons,” said Natasha at the same time that Barton said:

“A remote.”

“There were a lot of your buttons. They seemed to control what he wanted.”

Tony blinked and tried to understand what was happening. “So he jacked into the tree and is then using the network to control the others by controlling what the Tree sends out.”

“Thor’odi said the device was human made though,” said Rogers frowning, “Who would make such a thing though?”

“Maybe someone who would want the Na’vi gone, someone who could make a deal,” Barton said, frowning.

“Maybe we should be asking who could make such a thing,” Stark interrupted. “That stuff is not easy to make.  I could probably do it but I don’t know enough about the planet’s network to make it and I wouldn’t even if I would. I don’t know who would be able to.”

“I may know enough about the biology to guess,” Bruce said, “But Grace knows much more than I but she would never do this. And even so she doesn’t have the knowhow to make such a device.”

“My brother would know,” Thor’odi admitted, “He spent much time examining how Eywa and our people connected so as to be able to overcome his handicap. He was not successful though, when he had left, but I have no doubt that his knowledge would have grown. He was as smart as my Jane, perhaps even more so in some things.”

“A smart evil villain, great!” Tony said sarcastically, “No offense Buff.”

“None taken,” said Buff, “I understand the difficulty this produces.”

“Can we fix it though?” Rogers asked, “Would just removing the device be enough?”

Thor’odi shook his head. “I do not know. Perhaps. But the Mother is a source of great power. It could be dangerous. I do not how my brother put it there without repercussion.”

“Great,” muttered Barton.

“Maybe if we figure out who made it, we might find away to shut it down, or remove it safely,” Banner said. “If there is a possibility to shut it down from a distance we should take it because I don’t know how we’re making it to the Tree.”

“I don’t think we can,” said Romanov. “The magnetic flux messes up the quincopters’ instruments when they get close. I don’t think any sort of radio wave would make it through.”

“Finding the person is a good idea though,” said Rogers. “We’ll should check that, see if it pans out.”

“I could hack the computers,” Tony said, “See if I could figure out who has the specs to do this and see what the top brass has to say about it.”

“Alright you and Romanov should go back. Romanov, I think your tank is almost empty right?”

Romanov shook her head. “I’ll be fine. Thor’odi, do you know where I can find some iztarang that is not connected to any other plant?”

Thor’odi thought for a moment and nodded. “Yes, I know where.”

“Take me,” she said and he nodded.

Rogers frowned and Barton said, “It’s the same plant I ate, Rogers.”

“Besides,” said Tony, “I’m already in the facility. All I have to do is wake up there and hack in from my computer.”

“But what if you can’t get back to the unit? If whoever did this, catches you snooping around they won’t be happy,” Banner pointed out.

“If I’m not awake in four hours come get me,” Tony told them and then tried to get comfortable on his branch. “Nobody do unspeakable things to me,” he instructed, “I know I’m irresistible but you’re just going to have to find a way to do the impossible.”

“Can I hit him over the head?” asked Barton looking like he wanted to bleach his brain.

Tony huffed and fell asleep.


	11. Zolaicle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony finds a Zolaicle and Natasha finds some iztarang

He woke up in the unit gasping. He pushed at the cover and it released him with a squelchy whoosh. He grabbed his pant leg and started the arduous process of moving himself into the wheelchair. Unfortunately his presence was not unnoticed. Max, the doctor who had given him and Spellman their first tour rushed over.

“Dammit Stark!” he groused, “What happened? Where’s Natasha? I though you would be like Grace and the others? Where’s the avatar? Medical called and said you all were missing! Are you okay?”

“Whoa hold up,” said Tony. “Yes I’m fine. We’re all fine.  We were out there trying to find out what’s wrong. Anything new with Grace and the others?”

Max shook his head. “Nothing.”

“Aright I need to get to my computer,” said Tony trying to maneuver around Max. Max blocked his way. “What’s going on out there? Is the avatar safe?”

“Yes, it’s safe. We’re not entirely sure and I don’t want to say anything until I’m sure so I need to get to my station.” Max let him go but followed. Tony decided to make the most of his presence.

“What’s going around here?”

“Full military lockdown,” Max replied. “The whole lab is in lockdown too. They’re not letting us out until Grace and the others come out. They think we’re helping the Na’vi. They haven’t sent out a replying force though.”

Tony nodded as he stored away the information. He reached his work station and quickly accessed his workstation. From there he hacked the databases and then created a search to find his needle.

“What are you doing?” asked Max frowning.

“Looking for someone,” said Tony shortly, “Now if you’ll just run along and let me work that’d be great.”

Max frowned but Tony turned a particularly hard stare on him and he retreated still looking suspicious.

It took Tony about two hours of hard hacking before he got a name. Arman Zola. Is name hadn’t been on the passengers’ manifest. It had been on a separate manifest, listed among the cargo. He was a brilliant scientist with specialties in a number of fields and lots of experience with experimentation and mad science. It was the perfect candidate.

It also told Tony that the top brass did indeed know about him because there was no other way he could have been sneaked in to Pandora. No one could. It would also explain why the Colonel Miles Quaritch, hadn’t launched a reply assault on the Na’vi, which would be his norm as his hatred of the Na’vi was a well-known thing.

“They made a deal,” he muttered to himself, “One of the Na’vi betrays their people and helps them. They would get the unobtainium and maybe later if they get the device, they could destroy the Na’vi. Clever. But how clever is this Loki’odi?” He shook himself and then went to find out what he needed to know, “Where are you Dr. Zola?”

Dr. Zola was apparently in cryo. Tony blinked and then said, “Well let’s go meet a Zolaicle.” He wheeled out of his workstation and found Max.

“So, Max,” he started, “I need your help.”

Half an hour later three of the scientists had thrown up. Medical came to get them, along with four soldiers. The four soldiers were tazed with makeshift tazers and the doctors were apologetically restrained. Max and Tony and another tech made their way frantically to the cryo chamber.

After several hair-raising turns they made it there and then had to search frantically to find the right chamber. It took them about five-too-long- minutes to find it.

They pulled it out and hit the deforesting series, to start. The display blinked and showed them: 15 minutes to completion.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Tony groaned, “These things are supposed to be faster.”

“This is deep freezing,” Max told him, “That’s the fastest it can go.”

“Well we really don’t have that kind of time,” Tony deadpanned.

“I’m sorry,” said Max, hands flickering over the controls, “It really can’t go any faster. Not if we want him to be able to answer any questions we have.”

“Great,” said Tony, sarcastically. His four hours were ticking down and it was only a matter of time before the Colonel found them.

The fifteen minutes stretched out so long it felt like they were just waiting to fall into an abyss of doom. Finally though there was a smart little chirp and the cover of the cryo chamber let loose a hiss of cold air and lifted off.

Max and the tech pointed their guns at the figure inside as Tony rolled up to it leaned over, smiled and said, “Come on sunshine, wakey, wakey. You have less than fifteen seconds to become coherent. If you aren’t in that time I will shoot you. Ten seconds now.”

The figure inside blinked bemusedly at them and then tried to rise out of the chamber. It failed and Tony watched dispassionately.

“Are you awake yet?”

There was a pause while the little man seemed to gather his bearings and then he said, “Yes. Yes sir I am. How may I be of assistance?”

“You can start by telling us how to destroy the device you created to use in the Tree of Souls and you’ll tell us how to do it without harm to us or to Pandora.”

Arman Zola smiled. “Ahh so it has been put to use and worked as well as I’d hoped.”

“Answer the question,” Tony said, hard as iron.

“Once inserted into the tree it is impossible to remove without suffering a fatal electrical shock. Insulation will not work, the whole Tree will give this shock and any insulation present will burn. It is a far greater power than any imagine. The device cannot be destroyed. The remote, yes, but the device itself, the worldslayer? Niet. It will stay, stay, until Pandora screams and is destroyed. But other remotes can be built so that it is always under subjugation. The plan was never meant to fail.”

He smiled sneakily, happily. He was a bona fide psycho Tony decided. Still, it was a shock when he suddenly jerked and red blossomed on his chest. Tony lifted up his eyes to see the Colonel coming from the other direction, his gun already aiming.

“Give it up Stark,” said the Colonel, “You and all your tree-hugging bastards are under arrest. We don’t need you anymore, this planet is under our control and there isn’t anything anyone is going to do about that,” he sneered, right in Tony’s face.

Max and the tech still tremblingly pointed their guns at the Colonel and his men but Tony motioned them down. No need to get themselves killed. He only hoped now that the others wouldn’t really come for him if he didn’t return.

 

* * *

 

 

Natasha followed Thor’odi through the almost silent Pandorian forest. He led her through it with almost absent ease, barely leaving a trail behind. An hour had passed before they came upon a set of several large rocks covered in several patches of iztarang.

”Careful,” Thor’odi said to her, “I am still not sure it is safe.”

“I know,” said Natasha, “but Barton has eaten some and it hasn’t affected him. Perhaps once it is separated and inside me it will not be affected.”

“Perhaps,” he said but still readied his large hammer. Natasha smiled; she appreciated the sentiment. She scurried up the rocks and set about finding the most isolated patch of iztarang. She soon found one and carefully dug it out, taking care to keep the roots intact and then said, “Here goes,” and put the plant down her throat and swallowed it whole. She gagged as she had to swallow it down in portions, slowly lowering it into her throat. When the whole thing was down, she gagged some more, fighting to keep it down, her eyes watering.

She finally straightened up, feeling sick. She hopped off the rock and came down beside Thor’odi.

“Let’s head back,” she told him, “Barton said the after effects of this aren’t pleasant.”

He nodded and then led her back.  Half an hour later, the effects started to hit her. The nausea was first, coupled by light-headiness. She staggered and kept going. Then the cramps started, first in her stomach. Then a burning seemed to light up in her chest. A few minutes later it had settled in her lungs. Then her lungs started to cramp. Thor’odi who had been helping her along when the second set of symptoms hit, finally decided he wasn’t about to listen to her protests anymore and hefted her into his arms.

She glared at him through watering eyes and tried to tell him she could make it back but he gave her a serene look and said, “It is fine to be brave but not fine to be foolish.” Then he leapt along the branch, before she could reply.

When they returned to the others she was half-unconscious with a full blown fever. The last thing she knew was Barton’s hand on her forehead saying, “Breathe ‘Tasha, just breathe.”


	12. Escape and Some Planning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

Tony was locked in jail cell with max, the tech and pretty much everybody from the lab.  Grace and the others thankfully weren’t here though, which meant that the colonel hadn’t pulled them out of the link.

Tony was still trying to figure out a way to pop the lock on his jail cell when the outer door opened and a soldier came in bringing them food. She laughed with the guard and said something about the prisoners getting steak.

The guard said something to her and went to check the food, obviously hoping to steal it for himself. The solider pulls her gun on the guard as soon as he bends to check the food.

“Yeah you know what that is,” she says, “Go down, all the way down.” The guard lies down on the floor and the solider knocks him out. She pulls the keycards from him and opens the cells. “Come on let’s get you guys out of here,” she says.

Max and the other tech come out but Max motions the others back.

“We can’t go out there,” he says. “It’s dangerous and there is nowhere to hide inside this base. Trudy we and Mr. Stark do need to get out here though.”

Trudy looked agonized but then nods and says, “Follow me.” They follow her quickly through a maze of corridors. They pass several other soldiers who are obviously holding the way open for them. They nod to Trudy and cover their exit.

They make their way out to the quincopter through the cargo holds. As they pass though it, Tony notices a box that says Stark on it, but it isn’t anything he brought with him. He frowns and veers off to inspect it.

“Come on Stark!” calls Max anxiously. Tony waves him away and pries open the box’s lid and looks inside. Inside is a shield. Tony frowns, remembering something, and then raps at it with his knuckles, listens to the sound and then hefts it out, lays it in his lap and rolls towards Max and the others.

The tech, impatiently, runs behind him, grabs the handles of his chair and pushes him as such a rapid pace, Tony is forced to keep his hands inside the moving vehicle.

They reach the quincopter which Trudy is starting up. Max and the tech help Tony up into the quincopter.

“Come on!” Trudy urges, “They’re going to know we’ve started up.”

She was right Tony knew. Finally they all got on board and Trudy lifted off.  A spray of bullets hit them though as they were lifting off but didn’t stop them. Trudy steered them quickly away and cleverly managed to avoid most of the outer defense and soon was maneuvering off into the Pandorian sky, going as fast as she could.

As they zipped though the sky, Tony sighed angrily. His four hours were up and he had no way to link back to his avatar.

“So what exactly did our escaping do?” Stark asked Max, “It’s not like any of us are well versed for traversing through the forest.”

“There is a link station up in the mountains,” Max told him. “Once there we can link you back in.”

Tony frowned. “The mountains? The Hallelujah mountains?”

Max nodded briskly.

“Is it safe?” asked Tony, “I mean is it away from the local wildlife because if they aren’t, we’re all in trouble.”

Max gave him a pained look and said, “We haven’t had trouble with animals at all in that location but…It is our only choice Mr. Stark.”

Tony sighed. “Yeah well let’s pick up the pace. I’m late for a meeting and if I’m not online soon we might have more trouble than we want.”

Trudy snorted. “You do know I have to fly blind to get to the mountains right? Even Stark tech can’t get through the inference here. I have to use my eyes and they’re no help in fog covered mountains. So cool your jets.”

“Well my jets won’t be the ones who will be fired if I’m late,” Tony said warningly.

“I’m going as fast as I can,” she said.

Tony glared and then subsided.

 

* * *

 

 

Meanwhile back at the tree Natasha was still unconscious, burning up and trashing from the effects of eating the iztarang. Steve was pacing and trying not to, Barton was helping Bruce care for Natasha and Thor’odi was still.

“He should have been back half an hour ago,” Steve said finally.

“Give him another half hour,” Barton advised, “You know things sometimes things take longer than planned. If he isn’t back by then we’ll move out.”

“Barton speaks truth, plans often fall apart as soon as battle begins,” said Thor’odi softly.

Steve considered the point. “Half an hour,” he said, “I don’t want to reach there and find that we’ve been too late.”

“I wouldn’t worry too much,” said Bruce idly, “Tony is too valuable a man to kill. They’ll probably lock him up but they won’t kill him.”

“True,” said Barton. Rogers nodded.

“Alright,” he said. “Another half hour, then we move out.”

Half an hour passed and Steve stood up purposely to go back when Tony’s avatar stirred. They all froze and looked at him and then his eyes opened and he blinked a few times. He took a moment to orient himself and then sat up.

“Hey,” he said wiping his face.

“Where’ve you’ve been, you’re late!” said Steve unable to help himself in his worry.

“Wow, slow down old man,” said Tony frowning.

“Sorry,” said Steve.

“Stuff came up,” said Tony but before he could explain he was distracted by Natasha. “What happened to Natashalie?”

“The iztarang,” said Barton, “This is what happens when you eat it. She’ll be fine.”

Tony gave him an unreadable look and then said, “I found out who made the device,” He continued amidst the chorus of voices, “but he’s dead. The colonel shot him when I was questioning him. Unfortunately what I got out of the guy before he got shot was that there is no way to take out the device or destroy it. We can destroy the remote but other remotes can be built. The scientists name was Armand Zola.”

“I know that name,” said Steve, “He was one of Red Skull’s scientists. One of Hydra. Dammit! I thought I killed them all.”

“So did everyone else,” said Clint frowning. “I am not pleased.”

“Nobody is,” said Bruce frowning at the news and then turned to Thor’odi to explain, but Thor’odi lifted up a hand to forestall him.

 “I have heard something of these names before. My Jane and the others spoke of it.”

Oh right. Jane Foster had made her discovery in the midst of Red Skulls reign. Being that Red Skull’s people had often experimented on many things, she would have known of them.

“Ah right,” said Bruce.

Natasha moaned and rolled away. Tony picked her up gently and cuddled her closely to him, keeping her from spasming in such a way that she might hurt herself.

“The problem now is what to do?” said Tony frowning. “I’m working on something but I’m not sure if it’ll work.”

“Wait a minute,” said Barton, “How are you back here? I can’t believe the colonel would let you go back in.”

“He didn’t,” said Tony, “We got caught and jailed. Max, another tech dude and I escaped with Trudy’s help. We’re in the link station up in the mountains but it isn’t particularly safe. We don’t know if it might get attacked by the local wildlife.”

“And you didn’t think to lead with that?” asked Barton deadpan.

Tony shrugged, “Got distracted.”

“Take us to it,” said Steve, “And tell us in detail what happened on the way. We need a better base than this and we need that station protected. There’s no way Loki’odi doesn’t know it’s there and that you’re there.”

Tony nodded, grimacing and handed Natasha over to Thor’odi as he was far more able to navigate Pandora and carry her.

“Come on,” he said, “What are waiting for?”and leapt out of the tree.


	13. Trying To Get A Safer HQ.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team try to get the link station to a safer place.

 

It was a long way to the mountains. Halfway there Natasha began to regain consciousness. She groaned and stirred in Thor’odi’s arms.

“Wha?” she mumbled.

“We are going to the mountains, Tasha,” said Barton, “To the link station back there.”

“Stark,” she said.

“Right here,” said Tony, “Things got rough so I had to link in the mountains.”

She nodded wearily and rested in Thor’odi’s arms, awake but not able to run and she didn’t want to slow them down.

Bruce rolled over to run next to Thor’odi and he and Natasha conversed softy for a few moments.

All around them animals moved but slowly, with none of their usual vibrancy. They seemed to be eating but that was about it. They didn’t attack them. Not yet at least.

Tony hoped their luck held out until they reached the link station.

They reached the link station around midnight, unmolested.

Max and Trudy and the other tech, whose name was Ron apparently, let them in with obvious relief. Tony rested his avatar and got up out of the link unit. Natasha was rested gently on a cot and given something to eat. In fact they all grabbed something to eat. Even Thor’odi, who screwed up his face but ate anyway.

“So,” said Cap, “This thing you were working on, what is it? You didn’t say much.”

“That’s because I didn’t get much time to really work with it. I think this belongs to you though.” He pulled out the shield and passed it to Steve.

Steve took it and stared at it. “My shield,” he said. “Where did you get this?”

“Cargo hold,” said Tony, “I think my father sent it for you but apparently no one told you. I wonder why?”

“What’s with the shield?” asked Trudy.

“I had gotten an award in the shape of a shield. A big one actually,” said Steve. “I had to go straight back to the field though so I took it with me. One night soldiers from Hydra came and I lost my gun. I used the shield to beat them back. It proved pretty effective actually. I became rather fond of it and it had been useful so I carried it with me on the rescue mission for the boys that Hydra had taken that night. It got pretty badly dented on the rescue mission though. Howard Stark made a new one for me, this one, and I carried it with me afterwards whenever I went out.”

“The army let you do that?” asked Trudy.

“It proved a real help,” said Steve.

“That’s because it’s made of vibranium, the strongest metal on earth,” said Tony, “It’s completely vibration absorbent and extremely rare.” Yeah that was his dad, putting something incredible in the middle of what was probably a gag gift. He really didn’t know how to show his appreciation.

Trudy and Max looked impressed.

“What does my shield have to do with the device though?” Steve asked.

“Look I hate to break this up,” Barton interrupted, “But we should get out of here.”

“He’s right,” said Natasha. “We’re too exposed here. Thor’odi, do you know any place that we can go?”

Thor’odi was silent for a brief moment before he nodded. “My home,” he said. “It is not very far from here but it is high up in one of the mountains. It is not accessible to any dangerous animal.”

“Trudy can the quincopter lift the link station?” Cap asked her.

“I think so,” said Trudy, “But he had better give good directions. I can’t see anything though the fog here.”

“I am able to give directions,” said Thor’odi.

“I’ll help,” said Stark and Steve simultaneously. They looked at each other.

“We all will,” said Barton.

“Alright, I’ll fire it up,” said Trudy getting up.

The others minus, Max, Ron and Natasha, helped hook up the lines to the quincopter. It was about half one in the morning and the darkest part of the night when they were ready to go. Tony couldn’t help but feel that that meant something foreboding. He shook of the feeling deciding he was being paranoid. Then he noticed Cap give a little shiver that had nothing to do with the cold and felt promptly dejected. He wasn’t being paranoid after all.  Damn.

They had to leave now though.

He, Cap and Thor’odi leapt up onto the top of the station and held on the one of the ropes, serving as a look out and to help steady the station. Barton went up with Trudy in the quincopter.

“Alright folks,” said Trudy though their comms. , which was static-y business at best. “Here we go.”

The quincopter lifted off and there was a little jerk as it picked up the link station. Tony and the others swayed for a moment and then steadied themselves.

“Everyone okay?” came Natasha’s voice.

“We’re good,” said Cap and had to repeat it four times before she got what he said.

For awhile things were good. Thor’odi called out directions and they all strained their eyes and on occasion shifted their weight to help thread the quincopter and its burden though the floating masses of rocks.  They were in a bit of a clear area though when there was a mass of static from someone.

“Repeat?” said Cap. The static came again seeming a bit more frantic than before. “Repeat!” said Cap. Tony looked around searching for the cause of alarm but could spot none.

 

* * *

 

Clint Barton hated unreliable communication. It always made a bad situation worse. And he was pretty sure that this was probably one of the worst situations he had ever been in. Not yet, actually but he was pretty sure it was going to become one.

At first the flight was going as okay as a flight done in pitch dark, with fluctuating instruments, depending on the eyes of eight people who were split into different groups on three different levels, could be. But after awhile he had gotten the feeling that they were being watched. He had watched enough people to know how to do it and he knew how it felt to be watched. He also knew Pandora and Pandora was too silent, and overly vigilant; he could feel it in his bones. But there was nothing he could see. Nothing the others saw and nothing on the instruments.

Every now and then there were tiny flashes of something but not enough to say for sure it wasn’t a glitch due to the magnetic interference. He stained his eyes but due to the fog and the dark he wasn’t able to see anything.

They’d just reached a bit of a clear stretch when suddenly for a brief moment he saw the instruments give a flash of many incoming things rapidly coming closer. It flickered away but even Trudy saw it.

“What the hell was that?” asked Trudy.

“I don’t know,” he said, “Hey guys, be on the look out there may be something coming towards you.”

“Repeat?” came Caps’ voice through the static. Just at that moment though the screen showed them rapidly incoming things again. Much closer than before.

“We have incoming!” he yelled.

“Repeat?” came Cap’s voice.

“Incoming!” he yelled.

“Who is speaking?” asked Cap.

Clint cursed.

“Language!” said Tony teasingly. “What’s up Barton?”

Of course that would go through.

“Incoming!” he repeated frantically.

“What?” asked Natasha.

Clint cursed and then handed Trudy her mask. “Put this on,” he instructed.

“Oh, no. You are not going out there,” she told him.

“Put it on,” he snapped and then headed to the inside on the quincopter to open one of the side doors.

“Ready?” he called back.

“Ready,” she grumbled.

Clint settled his gear and then opened the door. He stood precariously for a second and then carefully let himself over the edge and hung by his hands. His legs found one of the lines and he wrapped them around it. He took a deep breath and then let go. He fell anchored by the line and then sat up while he was falling and gripped the rope with his hands. He slowed to a stop before crashing into the top of the link station.

The others were staring at him open mouthed.

“What happened?” asked Cap frowning.

“You’ve got incoming!” hissed Barton. Then through the fog he heard a strange flapping sound and saw little moving blobs of bioluminescence.

“That!” He said pointing.

They all turned to look and then Natasha said over the comms. “Banshees!”

At the same time Thor’odi said, “Igrans!”

“Damn!” said Clint and heard Stark echo him.

Clint readied his bow.


	14. Banshees And All That.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They fight the attacking banshees. (Because what else are you going to do?)

To say that Tony was not pleased would be an understatement. The four of them atop the station readied themselves for the inevitable. They watched the glowing blobs of bioluminescent come swiftly towards them and then turn to wings and sharp claws and teeth as they emerged out of the fog. The banshees screeched as they came closer and saw their intended target.

“Get ready!” called Cap warningly, “Here they come.”

They came.

Some of them folded their wings to dive onto them; others flared their wings and tried to snatch them from off the station.

“Hold on guys!” yelled Trudy as she tried to maneuver them away to safety.

It was obvious however that that wouldn’t happen. Tony ducked a diving banshee and evaded the snapping jaws of another. He aimed his gun and shot. A banshee went down. Another shot rang out from Cap’s gun and there was the whistle of an arrow from Barton. Tony turned and shot, tail waving wildly to keep his balance on the precarious surface. Wings beat behind him and he spun and shot. Barton shot one coming up behind Cap while Thor’odi knocked banshees back with his hammer.

“Barton!” called Cap, “Knock down the ones which are bomb diving us. We can keep the ones coming up to us, back.”

Clint nodded and knelt on top of the roof to keep himself anchored and raised his bow upwards and shot down the banshees which were trying to puncture both the station roof and the quincopter.

Erratic bursts of fire came from the quincopters’ guns as Trudy shot at the ones who were harassing her, but she was concentrating on getting them to safety.

A banshee hit Tony’s back, throwing him forwards on to the roof. He hit the roof with a grunt and Cap shot the banshee off before it bit his head. He rolled onto his back, aimed and hit the one behind Cap. A dead banshee hit the roof, killed by Barton’s arrow, but almost killing him as well. Barton rolled away in time and had to grab one of the ropes frantically before he fell off the small roof.

Thor’odi yanked him forward to safer ground. Tony had gotten to one knee and was shooting banshees as fast as he could but he had to stop and brace one hand on the floor due to the violent swaying of the link station. Cap and Thor’odi grabbed at ropes and Barton crouched to keep his balance.

“Trudy!” Barton called.

“I’m okay but one of these guys just tried to take out one of my rotors.”

“Steve!” called Thor’odi and pointed. A banshee flashed in from the side and snatched Steve. It luckily decided to fly over the station and Barton jumped and grabbed at his feet before the banshee could get any higher with him. Tony jumped and grabbed the other leg and Steve managed to shoot the thing but its claws were still digging into him and dragged him over the edge. Clint and Tony clung to him whilst, Steve disentangled himself. Thor’odi was evidently keeping back the banshees because none of them attacked them while Steve was hanging precariously over the edge.

They finally dragged him to swaying safety but his gun was gone, taken by the banshees’ body.

“They are still coming,” said Thor’odi and sure enough there was another wave coming towards them.

“Are you guys okay out there?” said Natasha, “There’s another wave coming towards you.”

“We’re good,” said Steve, “but I lost my gun.”

“Trudy,” said Thor’odi, “The fog lifts. See there?” he pointed and Barton relayed to Trudy exactly where he pointed, the spot marked by the glow of the plants growing on it.

“That is where we must go.”

“Got it, she said.”

The link station swayed as she turned the quincopter towards it and started off as fast as they could.

“Hold on guys it’s going to get very rough. This thing is high up.”

The four men nodded and readied themselves for the next wave. They watched the blobs of bioluminescence appear through the fog and then the banshees gave their distinctive cry and they were surrounded and overrun. The link station swayed dangerously as Trudy tried to maneuver around the incoming banshees.

Tony had to grab one of the lines for the support and saw Barton do the same. Cap was defenseless without a gun. He was punching banshees that came near, but that wasn’t doing much of anything. He did finally knock one back though and then turned to see a banshee came out of the fog, wings flared, head stretched to bite.

It was shot down. The four of them looked at each other in surprise because none of them had shot it.

“Heads up Cap!” called Natasha from where she was hanging out the open door of the link station. Cap stuck his head over the edge and she tossed him his shield. Then she turned and shot the banshee coming towards them.

Tony grinned because of course Natashaile wasn’t going to be put out of the action. Then he shifted and fired at one of the banshees.

“Careful Cap,” he warned, “we can’t lose that.”

“I know,” said Steve. He whacked a banshee with it and then spun and tossed it. It ricocheted on the heads of three more before spinning back to his hand.

“Tony!” warned Barton. Tony ducked to escape the banshee behind him and then shot at Cap’s shield and the shot ricocheted of and hit the thing. Then he turned and shot the one behind Barton. Thor’odi flung the hammer at one about the hit Trudy’s windshield and caught it back with absent grace.

Shots echoed from the side of the station where Natasha was holding back the banshees. Tony reloaded and then Barton said, “They’re thinning out.”

“There’s still a lot though,” said Natasha. “We’re not out of the woods yet.”

“That was a horrible analogy,” said Tony.

“Agreed,”said Thor’odi, “There are no woods here.”

Barton shot the banshee that was about to grab Trudy’s tail and then two more after that. Cap severed the head of one with the edge of his shield whilst Tony shot off several more that were trying to haul Natasha out of the station door. He succeeded but missed the one coming at him.

It hit him, claws in the chest, gripping tightly, scoring him deeply and sending a stroke of pain through him that rendered his fingers nerveless. He was knocked off the link station entirely and then he was falling.

* * *

Clint Barton saw Tony Stark go over the edge of the link station and made an epic dive across the roof of the link station, hands reaching frantically to catch him. He caught one foot, felt one moment of triumph and then Tony’s weight was dragging him over.

“Help!” he yelled.

One hand grabbed the edge of the station and then he was twisting as the rest of his body slid over the edge and left him hanging by one hand.

“A little help here please!” he yelled, “Before we both go over.”

He watched his fingers slip one by one in a sort of absent way. The last one slipped off and Clint found himself falling along with Tony.

“Great,” he thought,” Falling to my death with Tony Stark.”

Then his fall was abruptly halted by a thick blue hand and Clint suddenly found himself as a human link in a Na’vi chain.

Thor’odi hauled them up with great strength until they were both safely on top of the roof. Cap was covering them with his shield. As soon as they were safe, Thor’odi went back into the fray. Clint slapped Tony twice to snap him out of whatever pain filled haze he was in and then stretched his aching shoulders, snatched up his bow from where it had fallen and resumed shooting.

Soon after, Tony got up and joined him and then shortly after that they were suddenly, and blessedly clear of Banshees.

Trudy gunned the engine as much as it could go and made short the remaining distance to Thor’odi’s home.


	15. Rest.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They rest.

The quincopter managed to fit in the link station through the gap in the trees and the sides of the mountain and into the hollow that made up Thor’odi’s home but it could not fit itself. Trudy dropped the station and then had to circle around the mountain to find a landing spot. The rest of them had gotten into the station for the trip down and then got out to help steady it down once they were inside the gap. Then they had to use branches to close the gap even smaller. Finally when they were sure no banshees could get through, they explored whilst Thor‘odi went to find Trudy and lead her in though another pathway.

Tony could see why Thor‘odi had said that his home would be safe.

The only way from the other mountains was across vine roads which weren’t as large as the other vine roads and then there was a tiny squeeze gap through rock face for an entrance. The hole on the top of the mountain hollow was small and tangled though with trees, even more now that they had closed it. It would be difficult for any animal to get through. It was their sort of floating fortress. Tony was sort of pleased.

Thor’odi soon came with Trudy in tow and once they were all sure they were secure they settled down to taking care of various injuries sustained during the fight that they had all hardly felt.

Tony had claw marks of his chest, and various other places, a burn from a hot shell on his shoulder and his face was stinging from where Barton had slapped him.

Barton in the other hand was rubbing both shoulders ineffectually and Tony remembered that the guy had had both his arms pulled when he was hanging on to Tony and hanging from Thor’odi.

Thor’odi seemed very much unhurt.

Steve as well sported a few cuts but was rather unhurt.

Natasha was fine, with a few lingering effects of the iztarang and Bruce was fine as well, having not participated at all.

He was making up for it though by tending those he could, starting with Tony himself.

Natasha was caring for Barton and Max was attending to Steve who only needed the most superficial of tending because his avatar body had some advancements put in by the good doctor. Steve let Max work on him and cradled his shield in his hands apparently getting back a feel for it, perhaps not really believing that he had had it after all this time.

Ron was patching up Trudy. She had gotten a little banged up, what with the quincopter taking some hits. She held an ice pack to her head and looked grumpy and tired. Tony did not blame her. He felt about equal. He’d been up for a long time and he needed real sleep.

Once Bruce finished with him, he asked Thor’odi if there was a place for his avatar body to rest. Thor’odi pointed him to a hammock in the corner of the space and Tony dragged his weary body over to it and collapsed there and closed his eyes.

There was the rainbow ride from hell and then he was opening his eyes inside of his unit. He eased the cover off and groaned as light hit his eyeballs. He shaded his eyes from the light and called out, voice rusty from disuse, “A little help here!”

Bruce heard him and came over, bringing his wheelchair. He carefully lifted each leg over the side of the unit and then shifted into the wheelchair. Bruce wheeled him out of the link station and over to where the others were sitting.

It was a small circle of flat rocks, the beginnings of a rough living room of sorts. The other were already munching on MREs and making faces. Natasha tossed one to Tony and another to Bruce and they both opened them and ate, fighting to swallow the terrible but needed stuff.

For a while they all just sort of sat there and recovered, each eating in silence, letting the adrenaline drain away while they focused on food or just stared of into the distance.

It was kind of nice up here, Tony reflected, when things weren’t trying to kill you. A soft cool breeze wafted in from somewhere, no doubt much diluted from the brisk wind it must be, by many branches and rocks. Water gurgled from a small stream towards the back of the cavern and the room was slowly becoming brighter as day progressed.

Barton looked like he just really wanted to sleep, Thor’odi looked pained, whilst in the middle of deep contemplation, Rogers looked tired but also his like brain just wouldn’t shut up about something.

Max looked exhausted and worried. Ron looked like he wished he was back on Earth. Bruce wasn’t tired but he was mentally exhausted. Trudy looked like she was already asleep sitting up.  Natasha was the only one who looked well rested. She noticed Trudy a second after Tony did and went over to her and guided the sleepy woman back to the link station and onto a cot.

After a moment Rogers leaned back and flexed his shoulders and rolled his head back and side to side to work out the kinks in the muscles. He sighed and said:

“We should probably all get some sleep. We’ll work better on fresh minds.”

Tony wanted to say something snarky but he really, really agreed with him this time so he just sort of nodded tiredly and went with the others to try to figure out some sort of sleeping arrangements. Natasha had decided to take first watch and everybody agreed without much fuss. Thor’odi and Steve went to hang some spare hammocks so that they could sleep. Tony ended up bunking in his powered off link unit. He always hated camping.


	16. Back to Work.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone tries to plan again.

When they had all managed to get some hours of uninterrupted sleep, and something that wasn’t MRE’s into their bodies, they settled down to talk about what they had to do.

“So tell us about the shied Stark,” said Rogers, “How will it help?”

Tony gestured and Steve handed it over to him. “Your shield,” said Tony, “is made up of a vibranium-steel alloy. Vibranium is the hardest metal on earth but that’s not the last of its qualities. Vibranium is a great conductor and it is completely vibration absorbent. It also has magnetic qualities very similar to unobtainium. If we replaced the unobtainium in these mountains with vibranium, they’d still float. Sort of, well have to make some adjustments but the gist of all of this is, I think this shield is probably be able to actually kill the worldslayer, which has to be made of unobtainium. It’s the only reason why the Tree of Souls is not dying and is able to be suborned by controls from the remote.”

“The natural metal would be more acceptable along with all its conducting and properties,” said Natasha.

“Its strength would also be considerable if it were made of unobtainium,” said Max.

“But if it is attached to the sacred Tree,” said Thor’odi, “the Mother’s energy will kill anyone trying to remove it.”

“That’s the problem,” admitted Tony, “The Shields’ conductivity will prevent the Tree of Souls from too much damage; I don’t think that pulling the worldslayer out just like that is a good idea , the potential backlash into the Tree could be bad, but that makes harder for us.”

“The surge will kill us,” said Barton flatly, cutting to the point.

“Great,” said Trudy.

Tony shrugged. “We have to find a way to insulate ourselves from the shock. The shield shape may protect us, maybe deflect some of the worst, or not, but…” he trailed off for a moment and then said, “It shouldn’t be so hard! Banner can help me come up with some sort of insulation.”

“We don’t have anywhere to test it,” said Bruce flatly. Tony needed to work with that guy on his bedside manner.

“We’ll see if we can find a way back to the labs.”

“That’s going to be incredibly difficult,” said Natasha. “The computers in the link station probably could link into the network but not from here. There’s too much interference.”

“Is there anything at Grace’s school that might help?” asked Steve.

Natasha shook her head.

“What about the quarries?” asked Barton, “There are computers there right, to link back up to base?”

Natasha turned thoughtful but it was Steve who answered. “Yes, there are. But…”

“But what?” asked Thor’odi.

“Haven’t the Na’vi taken over those? There were attacks on the fence and the Na’vi usually attack the quarries. I find it difficult to believe that the Na’vi wouldn’t have taken over the quarries. If only to give Loki’odi an edge over his human conspirators.”

“Would his human conspirators allow him to take over the quarries?” asked Tony.

“They mightn’t have a choice,” said Natasha.

“Ahh but wouldn’t the general not be pleased with that?” asked Bruce, “I mean the deal seems to be going the way of Loki’odi gets to rule but the humans get all the unobtainium.”

“Yes,” said Natasha, “But I’m sure he would have to have the quarries. Thor’odi, you said your brother was smart, couldn’t he have convinced them that it would be best if the Na’vi was allowed some measure of what they want while he solidifies his hold over them?”

“Yes,” said Thor’odi without doubt, “My brother was very talented with speech. More than most. He saw people and he knew how to use what he saw.”

“So a regular evil Dr. Phil, huh?” Tony commented.

Thor’odi frowned at him in confusion and Natasha shot him a glare before carrying the topic back on track.

“So there is a possibility the Na’vi would have taken over the quarries. We will have to check. And we have to get to those computers to run the specs Banner and Stark need for this insulation.”

“What if it’s still manned by humans though?” asked Barton.

“Then we have slightly more and slightly less trouble,” said Steve. “That might give us more time too.”

“Yeah,” drawled Barton, “humans who go down are likely to stay down.”

Trudy huffed with laughter, “You got that right.”

“We’ll have to scout out the area first,” said Rogers.

“We better go in armed for full attack anyway Cap,” said Barton, “Scouting without arousing Na’vi, if they have taken over the quarries is going to be difficult and I have a feeling we’ll only have one shot at this.”

“I’m with Clint on this one Captain,” Natasha, “You’re well aware of what a Na’vi body is capable of.”

“Alright,” said Steve. Then he and the others went to sort out the logistics of breaking into one the quarry sites while Bruce and Tony went to work on ideas for their insulation.

“Insulation isn’t going to work,” Tony grumbled after awhile. “The heat’s too high. It’ll burn out nearly every material we use.”

“What about grounding?” asked Bruce.

“I don’t know whether the earth around the tree will be sufficient,” said Tony, “The roots of the Tree of Souls run there right? And they’re about as amped as everything else. The only thing I can think of is to probably put an opposing energy shield but even that mightn’t be enough, or it might damage the tree,” Tony said.

“How about we combine than with the grounding?” Bruce suggested, “Along with whatever insulation we can use.”

Tony blinked, mind running though calculations and then he said slowly, “That may work.”

They put their heads together and began crunching numbers again.

 

* * *

 

After a long, strenuous session of making plans, the groups came together to try to rig up some sort of supper. There were a few pandorian fruits that humans were capable of digesting but they were a little far afield. Thor’odi volunteered to get them and Steve went to join him.

Tony finished fixing the oxygen processing system so that Trudy and the others could refill their tanks of O2. None of them were too keen on eating the iztarang, and the processing system had been damaged on the way to their floating rock.

Bruce was replacing the bandage on Barton’s back and checking the dressing on Natasha. Seeing them, Tony went to check up on his avatar and change the dressing there too. After that Barton shot down some small fluttering things that had come inside and started a fire in Thor’odi’s fire pit. They didn’t look too edible but Tony concluded that as long as you left the wings alone, they were okay.

Their diet was supplemented by the fruits Thor’odi and Steve bought back. They reported that they hadn’t been attacked but they were sure that they’d been watched. However the entrance was still hidden.

Tony nodded, took a drink to get rid of the last bit of crumbling, ashy wing in his mouth and reached for a fruit vaguely resembling an orange, except it was pink and had strange things poking out of it.  Natasha snatched it from him and peeled it properly before handing it back to him.

She herself took a brown fruit, whacked it hard on the rock she was sitting on and then cracked it open and sucked at the golden spotted, purple jelly. Little waves of bioluminescence rippled through it. After a moment Tony stopped staring and ate his pink panorage.

After supper they shared their various plans and barring any unpleasant surprises, they would be taking a visit to the quarries the next day.


	17. The Club Attacks the Quarries.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They attack the quarries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoy!!

 

The journey to the quarries was not as difficult as it could be. It was a long one though and filled with necessary detours to avoid Na’vi, most of whom Tony didn’t even see but Thor’odi declared were ahead and Cap, Clint and Natasha agreed.  But at last they reached their required destination and hunkered down on the outskirts whilst they took stock of what exactly they would find there.

It was of course guarded by the Na’vi because when would anything in their lives actually be easy? Things had been running along this vein for most of Tony’s lifespan but he’d hoped the others had had better luck and life would choose to follow them instead. Unfortunately, that didn’t seem to be the case. Tony resolved to pick companions with better luck next time.  Right now they had to get past the Na’vi.

“One guard, twenty feet apart,” murmured Barton, “That would leave us with…”

“Twenty five guards around the immediate perimeter,” finished Natasha.

“There will be a second circle,” murmured Cap. “Tighter, with a chance to shoot who gets through the first line.”

“Found it,” said Barton a moment later. “About a hundred feet back. Hidden by the buildings, mostly in the shadows being cast.”

There was a pause whilst the others found the second circle.

“I’ve got five of them marked out,” Barton whispered.

“Eight,” said Thor’odi.

Tony quickly calculated the odds in his head. “That’ll be enough for use to get past the second circle,” he said.

“But not the warriors on banshees,” Natasha reminded him.

“Just duck and dive boys, duck and dive,” Tony muttered.

“I don’t like that plan very much,” Bruce muttered back at him.

“We’ll be armed doctor,” Natasha soothed. “Besides I don’t think the Na’vi are in the buildings. They don’t care what is going there. They just don’t want anyone reaching them. Once we’re inside we should be fine.”

“Halfway home?” said Tony mockingly.

“More like quarter,” Barton shot back.

Steve sighed. “We don’t have much time guys. We either get going now or don’t at all.”

“Aye, aye, Captain,” snapped off Tony.

Much eye-rolling was done and then they shifted themselves into position for their quite possibly suicide run.

Barton and Thor’odi crept to strategic vantage points in trees and then pulled out their bows. Once they were in and settled, they signaled to the others. The others pulled themselves into a tight wedge with Natasha and Steve on the outside and Tony and Bruce on the inside.

Bruce was carrying Steve’s shield and both Steve and Natasha were armed with guns. Tony was armed with something slightly more futuristic, a remnant of dark days in a cave in Afghanistan, though he doubted the Captain and Natashalie had noticed.  He also had a gun but he was saving the bullets. They really didn’t have a lot of spare ammunition.

When they were all ready and in formation, the Captain gave the signal and the wedge of four tensed and then took off in a sprint for the perimeter.

* * *

 

They almost died immediately. An arrow bounced on the shield Bruce threw up just in time, Natasha rolled and came up shooting while Cap swatted aside an arrow with his gun and returned fire. Then the warriors who were shooting them, went down, crumpling like a row of dominoes as Barton and Thor-odi took them down with rapid fire.

The second circle was well and truly alert now as were the warriors on banshees.  Steve and Natasha fired and the two archers on their side fired but of course it wasn’t enough.  Bruce shielded himself but Tony could see his eyes glowing green and knew that if he got hurt now, they would lose him to his other side. Two of the second circle went down cue Barton. But as far as Tony was concerned you wouldn’t have noticed it.

Reinforcements were coming, from behind as well as from above. Everything was madness and chaos. He’d been nicked by arrows several times, there were shouts and screams and gunfire and Tony was trying really, really hard not to think about being in the ‘fun-Vee’ but try as hard as he could he was seeing flashes of burning sand and was pretty sure he was feeling hotter than he should; as if he were in a desert back on Earth.

Well, he had gotten out of that desert once before. He reached down the device clipped onto his waist band and pushed the core in. The arc reactor glowed and powered up and its energy ran down the lines connecting it to the handheld repulser Tony had slipped onto his hand.

A banshee came down in a dive and would have in all probability knocked all of them down but Tony turned and fired. The high powered energy blast knocked back the banshee and the Na’vi warrior on it. There was a pause while the rest of the battlefield absorbed what happened and Tony caught a glimpse of Natasha’s surprised eyes while he was spinning to aim at another incoming Banshee.

“I’ve got the skies guys,” he said tightly.

“Go,” said Cap and they ran forward once more, ducking and diving. Tony spun while running blasting back banshees and Na’vi arrows. Bruce and Cap had exchanged weapons and the shield whirled around knocking into Na’vi and various other things. Bruce shot with amazing accuracy and was escaping being shot with easy agility. And then they were past the second inner circle and making for the buildings.

Natasha got the door open and she and Bruce ran in. Cap came in after them and stopped to wait for Tony. Tony had almost reached the door when a banshee came in sideways and grabbed him in its claws.

“Stark,” yelled Steve and then Tony was in the air going higher and higher up.

* * *

 

Natasha and Bruce turned at Steve’s shout in time to see Tony disappear.

“I’m going after him!” yelled the Captain and ducked out the door after tossing the shield to Bruce who tossed him the gun almost on instinct. Then Steve was out the door and Natasha closed it after him.

“Let’s go doctor!” she hissed.

Bruce hesitated and then gave a tight nod and went after her, being very glad that vibranium couldn’t bend under his grip.


	18. Meeting a Villain.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team fights off the attacking banshees and meet their villain for the first time.

Tony hurt. The banshee was chewing into him as it carried him higher and higher. Luckily for him Na’vi has really lovely carbon fiber reinforced bones that didn't crack under the assault of a vicious banshee. At least they didn’t crack yet. He managed to ignore the pain long enough to shoot the warrior on the banshee with his repulser and knocked him off it. The banshee squealed, the warrior yelled and Tony found himself being flopped around in the creature’s mouth.

A shot echoed close to Tony’s head and the banshee let him to yell. Tony found himself falling from a truly alarming height. He aimed the repluser down and let off a continuous charge. It slowed him down some and he had enough time to notice a large electronic tower of some sort coming up and he used the repulser to change direction and aim himself to the tower.

He hit the side of it hard, and almost at once got eaten again. Another shot rang out and the banshee jerked back but didn’t fall. Tony blasted it with his repulser but aimed so that it would only stun it a little. The banshee jerked and then started dropping lower as it tried to sort itself out. An arrow whizzed past him barely missing his head.

“Stark!’ he heard a voice call out.

Oh, Captain Perfect was trying to save him. Not he was complaining right now. Except you know, he was doing a terrible job of it and really Tony was going to have to do all the work himself. Steve’s other shot hit the banshees wing and caused it to let go of Tony. Tony instantly took back the last thought. He was surprisingly not far from yet another tower and used the same trick to get to it. The landing, like the last one sucked. It hurt terribly but Tony managed to keep hold of the metal bars and not fall.

Tony got in between the metal bars of the tower to prevent himself from being eaten again. He directed a repulser blast at a banshee that was diving at the Captain. Another arrow whistled past him and then the shooter was shot by Barton who had no business being able to shoot that far. But then Barton apparently didn’t get the memo about a lot of things.

Tony glanced around the tower attempting to find a way down, but then noticed a box set in one side. On a hunch he pried it open, stared at the inside and then yelled, “Captain!”

Steve made it up to the tower and yelled, “What?”

“I think I can take most of these guys out but I need your help.”

“What do you need me to do?” called Steve even as he absently reloaded his gun.

“I need you to go inside that little building,” said Tony as he pointed. The captain took notice of the building and nodded. "When you get inside get to the major control panel and tell me which breakers are set.” Steve nodded and took off from the tower yelling, “Barton, Thor’odi, cover me!” he yelled through the comms.

“Roger,” said Barton, and Tony could hear him smirk.

“Affirmative,” said Thor’odi at the same time. Then a more confused tone of voice, “Roger?”

How the Captain managed to sigh even at a dead run Tony didn’t know but was determined to learn as it seemed a fairly useful skillset.

He used the repluser to blast away a barrage of arrows that were heading towards him narrowly missed getting speared in the ribs and punched a banshee in the face. The banshee was apparently offended and Tony spent the next five minutes dodging an angry banshee through the bars of the tower until it got hit by one of the Na’vi’s arrows.

“I’ve reached the control panel,” the captain said.

“Great,” said Tony,” How’s it looking in there?”

There was a pause and then came the Captain’s voice. “It seems to run on some form of electricity.”

Tony blinked. “Well, you’re not wrong.” And then he proceeded to walk the captain through what needed to be done.

* * *

 

“Oh don’t mind us,” said Barton halfway through the instructions, “Take your time,” We’re just getting killed out here.”

Tony would love that man’s dry sarcasm if he wasn’t distracting him right now. “Hold onto your pants Barton,” he said, “We’re going as fast as we can here.”

“I have no pants,” said Thor’odi, “And currently I feel in need of some.” You couldn’t miss the poisoned sarcasm in the words.

Tony might just love them both.

The unexpected (and mostly non-existing) warm, fuzzy feelings disappeared with Romanov’s voice coming through the comms, sounding breathless.

“Loki’s here.”

 

* * *

 

When Natasha and Bruce headed deeper into the facility, they went in cautiously expecting to find Na’vi inside because to expect otherwise would be foolish. They did indeed find Na’vi, they just didn’t find the Na’vi they expected. It was Norm who stood blocking their way.

“A regular evil Dr. Phil,” Bruce murmured, his eyes glowing brighter. Natasha couldn’t help but agree. Loki’odi was counting on the fact that while they might shoot strangers they’d hesitate with one of their own.

Loki’odi had clearly never heard about the black widow. She lifted the gun and shot Norm in the arm. He flinched and then attacked them like she hadn’t.

Human body but with reinforced bones and Norm while he know to walk and run, clearly didn’t know how to fight and Natasha, she’d been squaring off against people bigger and stronger than her since she was very small. She knew how to handle this opponent. She surged forward, slid under him as he jumped and came up to one knee, and yanked Norm’s tail throwing him off balance and dragging him down. She ran to the corridor wall kicked off it and landed on Norm locking her legs around him and delivering several swift elbows to his head.

He staggered under the blows and her weight. She pulled out a line from her belt and threw it around his neck and strangled him.

When he fell unconscious she turned to look at Bruce and found him facing the wall breathing hard. She waited and then when he caught hold of himself he looked up and gave her a smile that she found slightly terrifying.

They continued down the hall and another two of their co-workers appeared. Bruce whacked the one closest to him with the shield and Natasha shot the other one in both legs and then spun and put a foot to the back on the neck of the other. Bruce rammed the shield into his throat and he made a little choking noise and he went down.

She met his glowing green eyes and he nodded. They marched down the corridor gun barking and shield flying in tandem. They cleared out the corridors until they came to the main station.

Inside waiting for them were two people.

One of them was Grace. Behind her, lurking was another male Na’vi. He held a spear in his hand, glistening with an unobtainum point. He had long black hair but some of it was cut allowing it to fall and grace his shoulders.

“Natasha Romanov,” he said and his voice was smooth, amused. “I have underestimated you.” He looked at Bruce, “I expected nothing less from the Doctor.”

Bruce clenched his fists but didn’t otherwise move.

Natasha said into the comm, “Loki’s here.”

 

* * *

 

Loki’odi smiled. “I don’t think they’ll be able to reach you for some time.”

Natasha shrugged. “It doesn’t matter.”

Loki’odi laughed. “It might,” he said, “When they must step over the bodies of their friends to reach you.”

“The only one that might blanch is your brother,” she said smoothly and watched Loki’odi’s faint flinch at the mention of Thor’odi. “The others all know quite well what I am capable of.”

There was actual faint surprise on his face and Natasha smiled condescendingly.

“Did I step on your moment?” she asked. “You may be special here but on Earth, where I come from, wicked is pretty normal, monsters are pretty normal and you’re just a two bit villain.”

The edges of his eyes crinkled with anger. Then he laughed. “Ahh, you did bring the monster with you. And I highly doubt if any of your villains have ever managed to take over your planet,” he said, “If they had you might actually have a planet left. Freedom is overrated, especially in the case of humans.”

“You aren’t going to stop us,” said Bruce speaking for the first time. Loki laughed again. “Oh but I am.” And then instead of sending Grace after them he casually stabbed her through the back. It was not like the shots Natasha had used on the previous Na’vi-human hybrids. It was fatal. Bruce knew. Natasha knew. And Loki’odi, the bastard, knew.

He dashed away and Natasha sprang after him only to halt as Bruce’s rage swelled through him. With the last of himself he aimed himself away from her and ran roaring. Natasha dashed back to Grace and frantically put pressure on her chest.

“Grace is down,” she called fighting the panic. “We’ve lost Bruce.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback please guys? Is this working for you all at all?


	19. A Loss.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They try to save Grace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

 

Tony felt a shiver go through him at Natasha’s words. Bruce burst out of the building a few moments later and went on a rampage towards the remaining Na’vi who scattered in response. Thor went after him and Barton covered him.

“Cap get away from the panel,” Tony instructed. He waited until he saw the captain emerge from the building and then hit the button on the tower he was on.

There was a slight hum in the air for a moment then and then electricity sparked, the tower shook and Tony dropped from it. Bolts of lightning arced between the towers frying the banshees that were in the air and generally informing people that they should probably be elsewhere. The Navi that hadn't run due to the Hulk hightailed it out of there.

“Shit!” He heard Barton yell. He glanced over to see Barton nock another arrow and aim it after someone he assumed was Loki but Loki was on a banshee and moving out of range. The only thing Barton could do now was waste an arrow.

Barton hissed and shoved the arrow back in his quiver and then ran into the main building.

Tony followed him and found Steve and Natasha attempting to keep Grace alive.

“Computers,” Steve told him. Tony wanted to yell at him but realized that if he didn't use the computers now it would all have been for nothing.

He dashed over to the console and started inputting data.

There was a flutter behind him and he glanced back to find that Clint had found a first aid kit. Grace was gasping on the floor and she still didn't know who they were.

“What happened if she dies here?” Steve asked Natasha.

“She’s linked too tight,” Natasha said. “I think she’ll die for real.”

Barton muttered unpleasant things under his breath. Tony’s fingers continued to fly over the screen. Soon he had the values inputted and after a few minutes he got an answer.

“Damn it!”

“What?” Natasha asked from where she was finishing bandage Grace and preparing for transport.

“We can't take it out.” Tony replied feeling hollow. “There's just too much power. The shield would deflect some, absorb some but there's just too much power in the tree. None of our grounding and insulation models worked.”

There was a dead pause and then Cap said, “We can't concentrate on that now. We've got to get Grace back to the trailer.”

“What about Bruce and Thor?” asked Barton.

“They can take of themselves,” Cap said, “and the trailer is where they'll head.”

There was a straining moment of tension and then Barton marched out. “I’ll get some branches. They’ll make a stretcher,” he called over his shoulder. Tony went after him.

He and Barton worked together speedily tying branches together with firm vines and then they hauled it back to Grace.

 

* * *

 

Natasha had tied a tourniquet around Grace but she was still bleeding heavily.

“Stark,” said Cap, “you and I have to take her.” Tony nodded. Navi bodies were faster than humans.

“Nat, Barton, cover us,” he added. Then he and Tony shuffled Grace into the stretcher and picked it up.

Grace moaned terribly. Tony tried to ignore it. Cap looked at him inquiringly and Tony nodded back. In a moment they were off, threading their way through the trees with their precious bundle.

The journey back to Thor’odi’s was awful. Grace was bleeding heavily, they had to dodge the occasional Na’vi and the pathway was not smooth. They had to stop three times to put pressure on the wound. The fourth time Clint stopped them from moving on.

He sank down next to her, cheeked her breathing and pulse and then shook his head.

“She not going to make it back.”

“We can't just give up,” snapped Tony because he had left Yinson back in the caves in Afghanistan and he never wanted to leave anyone else behind.

“We move her,” Clint snapped,” and we’d just kill her that much faster. “

“We don't move her,” Tony argued back,” and she will die,”

“She’ll die anyway,” Barton snapped, “He punctured her heart. There's nothing we have that will save her.”

Tony froze and then stomped away.

Behind him he heard Cap and Natasha conferred in low tones

 Then they settled on the ground on either side of her. Tony swung up into the trees and tried hard not to hear Grace’s stuttered breathing.

After a few moments though he was moving back down to the ground.

“She linked in too tight, right?” He said, “What if I figure out a way to lessen the linkage, get her to wake up in her own body?”

“Can you do that?” asked Steve.

“I can try,” said Tony grimly. He took off the repulser and arc reactor and began ripping at wires.

His mind whirled as he deconstructed the link system and reconstructed it to suit his needs. His hands were a flurry of movement as he fought to build a complex neural system out of scraps.

“Get me some of those roots,” he commanded after a minute and Steve and Clint went for them. Natasha was made to hand over the zips from her cat suit, Clint lost a grappling arrow to Tony's machinations. It took long, too long before Tony had something that might work but finally Tony fitted the cap of interlocking wires and vines and after one moment of hesitation, pushed the arc reactor core in. The device powered up.

For a moment, nothing happened and then Grace’s body arced up and then back down. Her eyes flew open and the roots Tony had used in construction grew downward and connected with those in the ground.

“No,” said Tony and moved to break their connection but Grace stopped him.

“She’s real,” she said her voice hoarse. The roots pulsed with energy.  “It’s beautiful,” Grace said softly.

“Grace,” said Steve equally soft, “can you make it back?”

Her eyes swung wildly for a moment before they settled on Steve.

“I can try,” she coughed weakly. “I can damn well try. But if I don't, you fix this okay. You all fix this. Don’t, don't let us destroy another world.” She coughed again, blood running brilliant red out of her mouth.

“It’s so beautiful.” She took a deep breath as if relishing the beauty and then said, “I'm going to try now.” With that, she closed her eyes and her body went still.

There was a too long pause before Tony realized that Grace’s avatar body wasn't breathing and that the interval was too short for Grace to have reached her own body.

“No,” he said, “breaking the horrified silence. “No.” But he knew. He knew better than anyone that she hadn't, no matter how instantaneous the connection seemed.

“Did she reach? Did she make it?” asked Steve.

“No” Natasha said sadly.

“Damn it!” Tony slammed his fist in the ground and moved away unable to stay by Grace’s still body. Not again, not another Yinson. Not again.

He stalked back over to the tree and scrambled up into the branches.

* * *

 

It was almost fifteen minutes before someone approached him. He turned to tell whoever it was to get lost, no really, but Barton regarded him with a steady stare and Tony found the words wouldn't come out his mouth under the things in those gray eyes.

He turned his head away instead in a clear ‘do not disturb’ sign.

Barton sat down next to him and after a long moment said, “I used to be an assassin.”

Tony froze for a second and then decided to roll with the startling revelation.

“I was pretty good. But I was young. I started early and I was cocky. One job, these German shitbags I was hired to take out, got the drop on me. They drugged me up.” He spat of the side of the tree.

“To this day I don't know what it was they used. But I became a zombie. I followed orders. Did whatever they wanted me to do.” He swallowed hard. “I don't know how many people I killed for them.” He stopped, licked his lips and then said. “I’m telling you this so that you’d know I know what I'm talking about what I'm going to say next.”

“Aww is it going to make me feel better?” Tony said sarcastically.

“About the fact that she's dead? No. How she died though. Maybe.”

He paused and finally Tony said irritably, “Are you going to tell me or not?”

“I know what's it’s like to be a slave the way Grace was. And I know, I know I would have wanted to die free. You gave her that chance and you gave her a chance to live. One she took. She got a chance to die fighting which is more than she’d had with Loki’odi. You gave her more than any of us could have. You didn't save her. We didn't save her and that sucks. There's nothing else we can do now but find the son of a bitch that did this and take him down. Grace wanted Pandora saved. We’re going to do that and we can use you.”

Tony clenched his teeth. Make a difference. Make a difference but he kept feeling like he always failed.

“I keep failing,” he said without meaning to.

“Then you damn well try until you don't,” Clint said flatly.

Tony cocked his head to look at him. Clint didn't flinch from the Merchant of Death in his eyes. Fair enough the man had been an assassin.

“Good point,” he said coolly. He cocked his head to the other side. “Let’s get the son of a bitch.”

“Damn straight,” said the Captain from where he'd apparently been listening in on them.

Tony gave them all a savage grin and leapt to the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The comment button looks lonely....


	20. Regroup

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been forever since I updated. I hope you guys like though.

“Uh,” Bruce groaned.

“Are you alright?”

Bruce‘s head shot up at the question. Standing not too far away from him was Thor’odi.

“Thor,” he said. He swallowed. “Yeah I’m okay. Howa re the others? Did I hurt anyone?”

“You did not hurt any of our comrades. Those you hurt were our enemies.”

“Thank goodness,” Bruce muttered.

He sat up gingerly and looked pained at the path of mass destruction that lead to his current position. He felt around for his pants and was relied to find that some of it was still there. A decent amount too.

“Come,” said Thor’odi. “It is not safe. We must return to my home.”

“Yeah, yeah. Okay,” said Bruce.

Thor held out an arm and Bruce looked at it surprised. It was not in his experience that people would want to touch him after seeing the monster that he became. He reached out and took Thor’s hand and the Na’vi pulled him up.

“So where even are we?” Bruce asked.

“Too far away,” Thor’odi muttered but gave him a crooked smile. “How fast can you run?”

Bruce groaned but smiled tentatively back. “More like, how fast can you run with me?”

Thor’odi threw back his head and laughed.

 

* * *

 

Bruce and Thor arrived back at Thor’s home two hours after the rest of them. Bruce looked like a mess and he instantly fell up on the food that was available. Thor looked a little scraped up but nothing much.

Only when Bruce was full did he realize something was off. He glanced around at all of them and then shared a glace with Thor’odi. Tony sighed. Best to tell them before they asked.

“Grace is dead,” he said flatly.

Bruce almost dropped his pan-orange. “What!?”

“Tony,” sighed Steve.

“What?” said Tony, “Nothing’s actually gonna soften that. The bastard Loki got her good. We tried to get her to get back to her own body but the damage was too extensive for her to survive getting back. She faded out on the way.”

“Shit! Said Bruce and skin tinged green making Tony feel bad. He should have thought about that. Bruce rubbed his hand over his face. “Shit,” he said again. “I’m sorry guys. That sucks.”

“Yeah,” Natashalie said quietly. “But we aren’t going to let Loki’odi get away with it.”

“No,” said Thor, whose entire body seemed to be vibrating with anger. “He will not.”

Damn Tony should have though about he would have reacted to the news to. Well shit. Can’t sugar coat everything.

“But uh, bad news,” Tony continued.

“Wait,” said Bruce looking gup. “That wasn’t bad news?”

Tony grimaced. “More bad news.”

“Go on,” said Bruce with a sigh.

“None of our models worked,” Tony told him.

“None?” asked Bruce frowning.

“None,” sighed Tony.

“Did you get the readings for what parts of the plan were the weakest?” Bruce asked him.

“Only got a glimpse but yeah,” Tony said. “Basically the power output from the tree is just too large. Nothing we use, shielding or grounding is adequate for the job.”

“Well this is all horrible,” Bruce murmured. Tony watches as the scientist runs his hands through his hair and then tries not to fall asleep.  He’ not the only one who notices.

“Go to sleep Bruce,” Steve says. “You need the rest. We all do,” he sighed.

Sadly, Tony cannot agree with him, no matter how much his body does.

 

* * *

 

A couple of hours later Trudy calls them all over. “Hey I think we have a situation here.”

Tony is glad to get away from calculations that seem to go nowhere so he goes over. Bruce, just waking up from his nap, stumbles over too.

“What is it?” Rogers asked.

Trudy who is actually halfway up into the foliage blocking the hole in the roof of Thor’s home says, “ I have a couple of banshees outside.”

“Are they trying to get in?” asked Nastashalie. Tony notices that both she and Barton’s hands immediately twitch toward their weapons.

“No,” said Trudy. “But they’re acting like normal banshees.”

“So?” asks Ron, who’d joined them as well.

“When was the last time you saw any animal act totally normal since Loki took over?” Trudy retorted and Tony frowned.

“None,” said Cap. “None of them.” Clint was already hauling himself upt to where Trudy was. He grabbed her binoculars and focused on the banshees outside and then calls down.

“She’s right. They are acting normally. But they’re also the only one’s there.”

Before anyone can reply though there’s a loud screech. It’s a deeper bass than the banshees but similar. “Oh shit!” says Barton.

“What?!” Everyone yells.

That is, except for Thor’odi who yells, “Torak Makto!”

“Big banshee,” Clint explains. “Eats smaller banshees. They’re scattering.”

There is a cascade of shrieks as the banshees apparently attempt to avoid being eaten and then everything sort of settles down. The silence is ominous.

“Okay that’s not normal,” Clint says.

“Not in the slightest,” Trudy says.

“Guys come on, don’t make vague statements,” Bruce says. There was a reason Tony loved that man.

“The Torak Makto isn’t eating them,” Clint said. “They’re on another rock from him but he’s not eating them and they’re not running from him. So long, I think as they stay on separate rocks.”

“So Loki’s programming has some sort of limits?” Bruce wonders out loud.

“Maybe he can’t stop those base instincts,” said Tony. “Best if he directs them.”

“But why not direct them to us?” said Trudy. “That thing can rip open this shelter and get to the trailer at least.”

“What are you saying?” asked Rogers.

“That maybe there are other factors,” said Max.

“Evil Dr. Phil,” Tony murmurs.

But Barton who has been studying the banshees said very slowly. “I don’t think so.”

“What is it?” asks Natasha looking up at him.

“Call it a hunch,” Barton says.

“Wanna explain?” Tony grumps. Seriously what is it with the vague statements?

“There are six of them counting the Torak Makto,” Barton says.

“And?” says Rogers.

Barton looks down and then points to each one of them who’d been locked out by the seeds. “One, two, three, four, five, six.”

No. No way.

“Are you sure?” Natasha asks.

Um, no, Tony’s brain says. The other half though is busily reminding him that since Eywa locked them out, she could probably have locked out other things too.

“Guess there’s one way to find out,” Barton grins crookedly and drops from his perch, a distance that makes Tony’s heart stop for a second. Barton is insane. As they all make for the door though, Tony realizes that they’re all probably insane.

Hope their crazy comes with luck.


	21. Driving With The Top Down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh I've had this chapter in my head for so long!! Hope you guys enjoy!!
> 
> Music: Driving with the top down.

“This is not wise,” Thori’odi states. “It could be a trap.”

Oh now he says, Tony sighs, when they’re all clinging to the sides of the floating rock, trying very hard not to fall down into the mists below.

“Could have expressed that opinion before,” Bruce grouses. His skin is flickering green from the stress of the situation.

“It’s worth a shot,” said Rogers. “If Ewya gave us allies, it’s was probably for a reason.”

“But that’s if they’re allies,” Natasha points out. She moves along to the narrow path and makes a heart stopping leap upward to a crag of rack. “If it’s a trap, we’re not exactly in the best position to find out.”

“Does no one trust me?” Barton asks rhetorically. He’s the furthest ahead and the highest up, picking out the path for the others, to the rope vine that leads to the next rock which the banshees are perched on.  

“We trust you,” Tony told him. “But whether or not you’re smarter than Loki is up for discussion.” Clint risks death to flip Tony the bird and Cap sighs but Tony can see he’s hiding a smile. Then Clint makes a leap upward more heart-stopping that the one Natasha had performed and disappears around a  projection of rock.

“I hate my life,” Bruce says looking at where Clint had disappeared.

“Luckily I’m here to make it better,” Tony says. “Come on doc, up we go.”

“You good doc?” Cap calls down. Natasha is up over the rock now.

“Yeah,” says Bruce. “I’ll make it. It won’t be fun but I’ll make it.”

Cap looks down, analyses Bruce and then nods. He too leaps upwards and disappears. Tony is next and he tries to calm his frantically beating heart. He’s in a na’vi body, made for this environment but even for the Na’vi this is risky. Still Natasha and Barton are basically human and made it up, so he should be fine. The wind blowing does not help. Tony waits for a slight break on the wind and then bunches his muscles and leaps upwards.

He overcompensates but manages to make it fairly safely, although his heart and stomach is falling far, far beneath him. If he leans over he might hear their pitiful cries for help as they fall into the abyss.

“Come on Bruce!” he calls hoping that Bruce does not hear the waver in his voice.

There is a long moment of silence and then Bruce is up over the projection of rock and Tony is steadying him. His eyes are wide, his skin is green and Tony is sure he feels his body shift and change under Tony’s grip but then he takes in a harsh breath and settles. Tony pulls him across the rest of the way and then Thor’odi is there, looking like the jump was of no consequence to him.

They travel across the uneven surface of the flying fortress until they arrive at where the vines are rooted into it. It’s like a giant, ugly umbilical cord, made up of vines and rocks caught int their grasp that ties the floating mountains together. If the paths they’d just come up was awful, Tony lacked the words to describe what climbing up that was going to be like.

“Are you sure these are safe?” Cap asks Thor’odi. In response Thor grips the vine-and-rock and scrambles onto it. He moves up the structure with ease, grabbing onto individual vines and handholds of rock to make his way up to their destination.

“Oh this is fantastic,” Bruce breathes, sarcastically.

Clint and Natasha share a look and then they’re moving. Clint is first and he goes up with the same ease as Thor even though it’s clear he’s definitely using much more effort. Natasha is right behind him. She’s not a proficient as Barton but the difference isn’t too large. She’s got a good eye for the easiest paths too.

Rogers nods to him. “I’ll come up after Bruce,” he says and Tony nods back in agreement. He approaches the wild ladder and then takes hold of the vines and pulls up. It’s not as hard as he’d though it might be but boy oh boy, the height was making him dizzy. The sudden flashbacks of falling partway up the ladder weren’t helping either.

“Tony!” It was Natasha’s voice, cutting through the haze. He looked up at her and she said, “Count with me.”

“What?” he said.

“Count with me. Odd numbers. Come on. 1, 3, 5, 7. Come on Tony, continue.”

It takes a few moments and then Tony says, “9.” He swallows and then starts back, “11. 13. 15.”

Barton continues from somewhere up top. “17,19,21.” Tony takes another deep breath and starts moving again.

“23,” Bruce says, “25. 27.”

“29,” says Natasha.

“31,” Tony breathes out. “33, 35, 37.”

“39,” Steve continues.

“41.” Even Thor’odi joins.

They count odd numbers for the entire time they climb up the stupid pan-rock-vine ladder. It’s embarrassing but it keeps Tony from flashbacks and Bruck from hulking out. When they are finally, finally, on flat-ish land again and Tony sees the strain ease from Clint and Natashalie’s face, he concludes that it may have helped the others keep their minds of the terrifying height as well.

The warm glow in his chest presses in for a moment and Tony is okay. Okay with showing this weakness. Then the moment is gone and everybody has their game faces back on. Time to go spring a trap, if they’re stupid.

Barton settles his bow and quiver more firmly on his back and then he’s moving across the sharp-edged terrain towards the outcropping where the banshees are. They follow him of course, everyone creeping out and putting themselves in the best position to defend Barton if something goes wrong.

The banshees screech at Barton and the archer flinches a little. It’s not a scared flinch more like a I’m-ready-to-fight flinch. The banshees screech again but instead of attacking Barton they jump of the ledge. They don’t go far. They basically circle above the floating rock screeching horribly. Tony definitely understand why they’re called banshees.

That is, all of them take flight except one banshee. The remaining banshee, eyes Clint disdainfully and then hisses sharply at him. Clint grins sharply back at it and hisses too. The creature moves from its disdainful position and gives a full out attack snarl.

“Barton,” Thor’odi’s voice is warning. “I think he has chosen you.”

“Yeah I think so too,” Clint said, face split in a sharp smile.

“But the halo can’t be made,” said Natasha. She pointed. “Look their bond ports are limp too.”

“So Ewya did lock them out too,” said Tony.

“Which means they’re allies,” said Cap.

“Only if we prove our worth,” Clint replied, still avoiding the menacing banshee.

“Uh as far as I know they only stop trying to kill you when you’ve made the bond,” Natasha pointed out.

“First flight seals the bond,” said Thor’odi. He looked thoughtful. “I guess we survive the first flight.”

“This is not going to end well,” Bruce said.

“Well we gotta try right?” Clint says. It’s official, Tony thinks. Barton is crazy.

“You’re too small Barton,” he says. Banshees are good for riding with na’vi bodies but humans are tiny compared to the things. Barton just turns his head enough to grin at Stark and then lunges.

There are about five voices yelling ‘Clint!” in various tones of alarm. Barton ignores them all. He somehow manages to get under the banshees and then twists to pin the thing. When he has it subdued he slings himself on its back. Which of course the banshee hates so Clint has to wrestle with it again while Tony stands on the sidelines feeling incredibly helpless. Finally though the archer has the banshee marginally subdued and then without even a by your leave Barton tosses both himself and the banshee of the cliff.

Yep. Tony’s gonna kill him if he survives. By the look on Romanoff’s face, Tony will have to get in line.

There is a lot of screeching from below them but after a few minutes the squawking settles down. For a moment everyone stands in tense horror that Clint might have been thrown off and then the banshee plus it passenger rush up from the depths blowing past them while Barton shouts in triumph.

Everyone releases sighs of relief and Bruce goes back to being brown skinned and not green tinged. Their relief is short lived though. The remaining banshees alight on the rock and starts hissing at the rest of them. They all look at each other and then slowly advance on the banshees.

* * *

 

The banshee that tries to kill Tony is a damn son of a bitch and Tony think he might half love the thing already even if it did almost take an inch of his tail. Currently the thing is trying to bite him in the face. Rogers is doing much better from what he can tell but it still isn’t easy. Thor’odi, the bastard, had already jumped off the cliff with his banshee five minutes ago. Natasha had hers pinned but wasn’t able to move from that position to actually mount the thing.

Tony manages to push the banshee’s face from his own, scramble away from it and then dive back on top of it. The bashes squeals angrily and Tony feels like he’s back on one of those bulls you have to ride at parties where everybody bets on how long you’ll stay on. Tony used to like to try and win the bets.

Why did he like that again? It was stupid. And painful. And full of claws. Wait, wrong creature.

“Argh!” Tony yelled at the thing. “Stay down, you stupid thing so I can ride you.” There was little pause on the rock. “Uh, that came out wrong….”

“Tony,” Bruce sighed from where he was standing not wrestling any banshees at all because none had chosen him and well, there weren’t any left anyway. “You’re gonna rot my brain.”

“Sorry,” Tony called back. He finally managed to pin the thing with a foot on either main wing and clambered on to the thing’s back firmly. The banshee tried to throw him off but Tony steered them to the edge of the cliff and then threw them off.

He tried not to scream on the way down, because who the hell though this was a smart idea?

The banshee tried to roll and throw Tony off it’s back but tony clung on stubbornly. Not going to die today, getting allies of all things. The banshee’s screeches and tries to slam him into a cliff but Tony shifts his weight and the banshees is forced to pull away from the cliff or risk bashing itself pretty badly. It tries to roll again but Tony shifts his weight just in time and stays on, so the banshee abandons fancy tactics and just falls. The wind shear is awful and Tony has to fight to stay on but he does it. For a long and terrifying moment Tony thought that he and the banshee would never come to an understanding but then the banshee stopped trying to throw him off and leveled out. Its wings caught air and suddenly they weren’t falling anymore. They were flying.

They were flying and damn Tony remember those few moments before he’d fallen from the sky. He remembered the sheer ecstasy that he’d felt. It was the one good thing he could remember about the whole dark experience and here it was again.

He gripped tightly to the banshee and together they sliced through the sky like it was theirs. The banshee screamed and Tony screamed with it.

Answering screams came from behind him and Tony looked back to see Thor and Clint flanking him. He grinned wildly at them and they grinned back. Tony sends his banshee up into a climb and the others followed, soaring, higher and higher up. They reached as far as the banshee would go and then his banshee was closing its wings and tilting downward.

Tony expected to be greeted with a flashback, now that he wasn’t clinging on for his life but all he felt was utterly alive, searing thrill running through his veins as they spiral down. Steve and Natasha flashed past them on their way up. At the last moment the banshees flared their wings and arced them back into the sky again.

Tony whooped joined by Thor, Clint and then a few seconds later by Nat and Steve. In a few moments they were all spread out in a line in the sky staring at each other, wild elation on their faces. Then a dark shadow spread over them. The banshees squealed in alarm and tired to scatter but an= wild shout from above had their riders pulling them back on course.

Tony looked up to the Torak Makto searching for the figure he knew had to be there even if his brain had trouble processing it. But then...there he was. Bruce Banner, on the Torak Makto’s back. But…

“Well shit!” Barton started laughing.

Tony started laughing to too because Bruce…wasn’t quite Bruce. He wasn’t quite his hulking na’vi form either. He was a mix of both forms, using the Hulk’s strength and speed to survive the Torak Makto trying to kill him.

“He’s….” Thor was a little shocked and Natasha’s eyes were sparkling. Rogers was grinning hard. Bruce looped back and flew under them and then he was shifting, changing back to just Bruce.

“He’s the only one who can hold the other guy!” Bruce shouted up at them. Tony blinked. Made sense.

“You’re awesome!” he shouted back down and Bruce shook his head at him but he was clearly pleased.

“Tony are you sure you haven’t been infected,” Natasha said, “You handed out a compliment to someone other than yourself.”

Tony risks death to flip her the bird. She laughs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come on guys, some feedback would be lovely. Crossovers are always tricky.


End file.
